RICHMOND, Va. — A new report from the Virginia Business Roundtable on Early Education is urging major changes to the state's childcare system as families prepare for back-to-school season while facing significant challenges finding affordable, quality care.
The Shovel Ready Virginia Task Force report identifies two primary factors driving childcare shortages across the state: a lack of physical spaces for daycare and early learning centers, and a critical shortage of early educators entering the workforce.
"We need spaces, we need teachers, and we need funding to help subsidize tuition for our low and moderate income Virginians," said Mike Chinn, co-chair of the Virginia Business Roundtable for Early Education. "If we can get all four of those things together, growing, working, working together, working in harmony, then Virginia can continue to advance its early education system."
The report recommends that Virginia's leaders recognize childcare as essential to the state's economy and quality of life. It calls for increasing classroom availability by expanding existing childcare operators and developing public-private partnerships to create more options.
Additionally, the task force emphasizes the need for policies that create a more favorable business climate for both existing and new childcare providers.
Chinn highlighted an innovative example from southwestern Virginia where businesses are collaborating to address childcare needs.
"A group of large employers came together to renovate and rehabilitate a large big box store that was no longer being used," Chinn explained. "Significant funding was raised from those corporations, combined with some other state and federal monies to bring to life and breathe new life into that, so I think they can accommodate over 300 kids. So part of what needs to happen is a lot of creativity around bringing everyone together."
The task force concluded that for Virginia to maintain its status as a top state for business, childcare and early education must become priorities for the state's elected leaders.
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