Neighborhood and Community Services

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

Department Resources

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:

  • Strengthening quality. We will ensure all components are in place to coordinate quality measurement and guide improvement in publicly funded classrooms as part of VQB5.
  • Building relationships. We will engage with leaders across the region to facilitate buy-in for shared accountability and benefit.
  • Increasing access. We will build and strengthen better processes to help parents learn about and access ECCE programs in their community, while helping ECCE providers connect with families.
  • Engaging families. We will establish and strengthen strategies and structures to ensure family engagement.

Strengthening quality. We will ensure all components are in place to coordinate quality measurement and guide improvement in publicly funded classrooms as part of VQB5.

 

Virginia’s early childhood system must ensure that all children have quality teaching and learning experiences that meet their unique needs. To do this, Virginia has developed the Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five System (VQB5) which recognizes the impact of every classroom, provides feedback to every educator, and supports all publicly funded birth-to-five programs to improve. VQB5 is a measurement and improvement system that focuses on the quality of all publicly-funded birth-five classrooms and supports families to choose quality programming across different program types.

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

For more information about the Capital Area Ready Region and VQB5 email: NCSOFCVQB5@fairfaxcounty.gov

The Virginia Department of Education administers VQB5 as established by the Virginia Board of Education. To learn more, visit the VDOE website.
 
 

Building Relationships. 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

Increasing access. We will build and strengthen better processes to help parents learn about and access ECCE programs in their community, while helping ECCE providers connect with families.

 

Ready Regions is working to “coordinate enrollment” across publicly funded ECCE programs in the region, such as Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Homes (including those participating in VECF’s Mixed Delivery program), Head Start, Virginia Preschool Initiative, and others to:

  • Help parents easily learn where there are available spots for their children, what they qualify for, and information such as cost, hours, and location.
  • Help ECCE providers keep enrollment numbers high, communicate when they have spots available, and be able to cover the true costs of quality services.

Engaging families. We will establish and strengthen strategies and structures to ensure family engagement.

 

Families must be engaged in designing an early childhood system that works for them. To do this, Ready Regions will connect with families and communities to better understand and provide the ECCE programs that meet families’ needs.

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.
 

 


 


 

 

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

For more information about the Mixed Delivery program in the Ready Region Capital Area (RRCA), email: NCSMD-RRCA@fairfaxcounty.gov.

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