Neighborhood and Community Services

703-324-4600 TTY 711
12011 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035
Lloyd Tucker
Director

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Ready Region Capital Area

We are proud to have been selected as the lead organization for Ready Region Capital Area. As a Ready Region lead organization, we are part of a statewide network focused on bringing strategic leadership and coordination of early childhood care and education (ECCE) services and resources to prepare all children and families for success. Ready Regions focus on:

  • Strengthening quality. We will ensure all components are in place to coordinate quality measurement and guide improvement in publicly funded classrooms as part of the United Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5) measurement and improvement system.
  • Building relationships. We will engage with leaders across the region to facilitate buy-in for shared accountability and benefit.
  • Increasing access. We will administer Mixed Delivery programming in the region, and coordinate enrollment to help parents learn about and access ECCE services that meet their needs and preferences, while helping ECCE providers connect with and serve more families. 
  • Engaging families. We will support a Family Council, made up of families from across our region to ensure the early childhood system is designed to work for families.

Neighborhood and Community Services, Early Childhood Programs and Services is the lead agency for Ready Region Capital Area (RRCA).  RRCA includes the counties of Arlington and Fairfax and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church.

For more information, email CapitalAreaVQB5@fairfaxcounty.gov.

We will ensure all components are in place to coordinate quality measurement and guide improvement in publicly funded classrooms as part of the Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five System (VQB5).

To prepare all children for kindergarten and in response to state law, Virginia has developed the Unified VQB5 to measure and help improve the quality of all publicly-funded birth-to-five classrooms and support families to choose quality programming across program types.

All publicly-funded birth-to-five early childhood programs are required to participate in VQB5 on an annual basis. Programs that do not receive public funding have the option to participate. Details available on the VQB5 Participation Requirements Web page.

VQB5 Quality Profiles (with information about early childhood program performance on quality measures and other topics of interest to families, policy makers, and the public) are available at EarlyChildhoodQuality.doe.virginia.gov.

Ready Regions coordinate and support participation in VQB5 for early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs in the region. 

To enroll in VQB5, email CapitalAreaVQB5@fairfaxcounty.gov.

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) administers VQB5 as established by the Virginia Board of Education. To learn more, visit VDOE VQB5 - Virginia's Quality Measurement and Improvement System Web page, or email vqb5@doe.virginia.edu. 

We will engage with leaders across the region to facilitate buy-in for shared accountability and benefit.

Ready Region Capital Area is committed to partnering with other organizations and stakeholders to implement this work. Our partners include: 

  • Alexandria City Public Schools
  • Arlington County Department of Human Services
  • Arlington County Public Schools        
  • Fairfax County Public Schools
  • Fairfax Futures    
  • Falls Church City Public Schools
  • Kids First Years

We will administer Mixed Delivery programming in the region, and coordinate enrollment to help parents learn about and access ECCE services that meet their needs and preferences, while helping ECCE providers connect with and serve more families.

Ready Region Capital Area identifies high quality childcare centers and family day homes to participate in Mixed Delivery.

Virginia Early Childhood Foundation’s (VECF) Mixed Delivery program provides public funding for ECCE services for eligible children, birth to five, and helps address the growing demand for full-day, year-round that aligns with families’ needs and preferences. To learn more about Mixed Delivery visit VECF’s website.

We support a Family Council, made up of families from across our region to ensure the early childhood system is designed to work for families. 

Our Family Council provides input on early childhood design and decisions, and helps our Ready Region understand and better meet families’ needs.  

To learn more, email NCSFC-RRCA@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Resources

Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5)
VQB5 is Virginia’s unified measurement and improvement system that focuses on the quality of all publicly-funded birth to five classrooms and supports families with accessing quality early care and education programming across various program types.
 

 


 


 

 

  • Curriculum Information
    A research-based, integrated, and comprehensive curriculum is a key component of a quality early care and education program. Learn more about implementing a Virginia Department of Education approved curriculum in your program.

     
  • Virginia Early Learning and Development Standards
    As of Fall 2021, Virginia has a new set of comprehensive early learning and development standards for young children, birth to age five. The focus areas include Approaches to Play and Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Communication, Language, and Literacy Development, Health and Physical Development, and Cognitive Development. 

Teachstone’s CLASS tool measures effective educator-child interactions which foster higher social, behavioral, and cognitive outcomes for children. 
To learn more, visit:

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VQB5 Important Dates to Remember for Publicly Funded Programs

August 15 - October 1

  • Registration and profile information (including all educators) must be complete in data portal LinkB5.

August 15 - December 22

  • Fall local CLASS Observation for all eligible classrooms coordinated by Ready Region Capital Area.
  • Site Administrators verify CLASS scores in LinkB5.

January 20 - May 31

  • Spring local CLASS Observations for all eligible classrooms coordinated by Ready Region Capital Area.
  • Site Administrators verify CLASS scores in LinkB5.

August 15 - May 31

  • External CLASS Observations for every eligible classroom coordinated by Teachstone®.

Mixed Delivery Program

VECF’s Mixed Delivery program provides publicly funded Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) services in state licensed (non-faith based) private community based settings such as ECCE centers and family day homes. It funds full-day, year-round ECCE services for eligible infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, meeting growing demand for publicly funded ECCE at private sites that meet the varied needs and preferences of families.

Mixed Delivery Program FY 24 Flyer: English | Spanish

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