As a promising sign of post-pandemic economic and workforce recovery, parental demand for quality, affordable child care has grown in all regions of the Commonwealth. Despite historic investments in Virginia’s early childhood care and education (ECCE) system in the FY25-26 biennial budget, there is a gap in funding for demand beyond FY24 enrollment levels. Beginning in FY25, ECCE providers were required to create waitlists, enabling Virginia to more accurately quantify unmet demand and anticipate projected need. As of November 2024, more than 10,000 children sit on waitlists across the Commonwealth. This funding gap has serious consequences for children’s school readiness and parents’ ability to work. 
 
An estimated 165,000 children under 6 years old in Virginia qualify for publicly-funded child care based on the eligibility criteria of household income and having all parents active in the workforce. Despite Virginia’s bold commitment to increasing access, only 42% of eligible families estimated to need publicly-funded child care are able to access the state’s child care programs.