Virginia child care assistance: Child Care Subsidy Program, VQB5 and VPI pre-K (2026)

Two income tests: the age of your youngest child decides which applies

If at least one child in the household is 5 or younger and not yet in kindergarten, the whole family is measured against 85% of state median income (SMI). Every child under 13 in the family can then be covered ⁠¹⁠⁶.

Families with only school-age children face a poverty-guideline limit set by locality. Appendix Z of the manual puts each city and county in Group I, II or III. Many Southside and Southwest localities, such as Danville, Wise and Pittsylvania, are Group I. Richmond, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Henrico and Chesterfield are Group II. Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington, Stafford and Spotsylvania are Group III. Fairfax and Alexandria residents are measured at 250% ⁠¹.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

The manual effective October 9, 2025 still uses the 2024 poverty guidelines and the FY2025 SMI estimates. VDOE had not posted a newer scale when this guide was checked ⁠¹.

Once approved, a family stays eligible for at least 12 months, until income passes 85% of SMI, whatever its entry group was ⁠². Virginia law deems any family on Medicaid or WIC income-eligible. The manual measures those families at 250% of the poverty guidelines, or at 85% of SMI if they have a child under kindergarten age ⁠²⁠¹. Countable income leaves out SSI, TANF, SNAP, the earned income tax credit, tax refunds, education grants and loans, and lump-sum child support arrears. Child support you pay to another household is deducted ⁠². Assets must be under $1 million, which you certify yourself ⁠².

Work, school and the 90-day job search clock

A parent needs a reason for care: a job, education or training that leads to work, a job search, child protective services, or an assigned VIEW (the TANF work program) or SNAP E&T activity. In a two-parent household, you must document why the other parent cannot provide the care ⁠². Work counts from 8 hours a week: the manual defines part-time as 8 to 29 hours and full-time as 30 or more ⁠¹. Students must show satisfactory progress. CCSP will not pay for care while a parent studies beyond a bachelor’s degree, though an LDSS may pay from local funds alone ⁠¹.

The 2026-2028 budget allows 90 days of care when job search is your only activity, plus one extension for extraordinary circumstances ⁠³. Under the manual, a family can use job-search-only care once per 12 months. At renewal, the 90 days apply only if the job loss happened within 90 days before the renewal month ⁠¹. If you are searching while also in school or working, the 90-day limit does not apply ⁠¹.

Where you land on a CCSP waitlist

Under the budget, VDOE gives each locality an annual target for the number of children it can serve, and each locality must keep a waitlist when demand exceeds that target ⁠³. VDOE reported 13,486 children waiting in July 2025 and 12,144 in December 2025, against 47,676 funded FY2026 slots ⁠⁶. The FY2027 budget appropriates $509.0 million for CCSP ⁠³. Fairfax County’s office was still running a waitlist when this guide was checked ⁠⁸.

The LDSS orders the list by priority tier, then by application or screening date ⁠¹⁠⁷:

• Tier 1: families with at least one child aged 0-5 who is not yet in kindergarten.
• Tier 2: families with a child who has special needs, a child experiencing homelessness, families involved with CPS or foster care prevention, parents under 18 in high school (including emancipated teens), and families whose cases closed for lack of funds.

The LDSS updates the waitlist every January, April, July and October with a Waitlist Update form. If you do not return it before the end of that month, you can be dropped ⁠¹. You do not need to send verification documents to stay on the list ⁠¹.

Virginia’s flat per-child copay and the 5% ceiling

Virginia charges a flat monthly fee per child, for the youngest three children in care. Families with no income pay nothing ⁠¹. The scale took effect for all families by September 1, 2025. It replaced a four-step scale of $0 to $180 per child with a cap of 7% of income ⁠⁴. The enacted 2026-2028 budget keeps it for FY2027 and FY2028: $5 a month for households below the poverty line and no more than 5% of income for anyone ⁠³.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Income bands use the 2024 poverty guidelines as printed in the manual’s Appendix B ⁠¹.

VDOE’s example: a family of three earning $5,400 a month with one child in care would owe $275 on the scale, but pays $270 because of the cap ⁠⁴. You pay the copay to the provider each month. A provider may also charge you any amount above the state’s maximum reimbursable rate, unless your locality pays the difference ⁠².

The May 2026 federal final rule removed the federal requirement to keep copays at or below 7% of income ⁠¹⁴. It changes nothing for Virginia families right now, because the 5% cap is written into the state budget ⁠³. Attendance is recorded electronically in the Child Care PASS system, which replaced swipe cards on December 1, 2025 ⁠⁵.

Checking a provider’s VQB5 rating before you choose

CCSP pays only approved vendors, and every publicly funded birth-to-five program must take part in Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5). That includes CCSP centers and family day homes, VPI, Mixed Delivery and Head Start. Classrooms get local and external CLASS observations of teacher-child interactions every year ⁠¹. Ratings for 2025-26 are scored out of 800 points (700 for interactions, 100 for using a VDOE-approved curriculum). They are published each fall as Exceeds Expectations (700-800), Meets Expectations (400-699) or Needs Support (100-399). Sites rated Needs Support must join VDOE quality improvement planning and coaching ⁠⁹. VQB5 moves to a five-level scale with the 2026-27 ratings, which will be released in fall 2027 ⁠⁹.

Virginia Preschool Initiative: pre-K for at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds

VPI is separate from CCSP. State funds and a local match pay school divisions and community providers for preschool for at-risk 4-year-olds who are not served by Head Start. Where a locality wins VPI Expansion funding, 3-year-olds can attend too ⁠³⁠¹¹. A child must be 4 on or before September 30 of the school year (3 by September 30 for 3-year-old slots). A 5-year-old who missed sufficient preschool may use a 4-year-old slot ⁠¹⁰. Eligibility requires one of these: family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, homelessness, a parent or guardian who did not finish high school, or a disability or delay that qualifies for special education. The last three apply regardless of income ⁠¹⁰⁠³. Divisions can fill up to 15% of slots with local criteria, or more with a waiver ⁠¹⁰. Fairfax County, for example, lists income up to 350% of the poverty level as a qualifier ⁠¹².

VPI slots are funded by the state share of a $10,722 per-pupil grant for a full-day slot in FY2027 (higher in Northern Virginia) plus a local match, not by parents ⁠³. Manassas Park City Schools, for example, describes its program as free ⁠¹³. Full-day classes run at least 5.5 instructional hours a day ⁠³. CCSP can pay for wraparound hours before and after the VPI day, but not for the same hours VPI funds ⁠¹⁰. Divisions kept waitlists of 3,351 children in December 2025 ⁠⁶. The Mixed Delivery Grant Program offers a similar private-provider option for children from birth to five. It follows the CCSP copay scale and work rules and had 1,423 children waiting ⁠³⁠⁶.

Applying through CommonHelp or your local department of social services

1. Find your locality’s group

   If you have a child under kindergarten age, compare your gross monthly income with 85% of SMI ($7,973 for three, $9,492 for four). If not, use your locality’s group column in the school-age table above ⁠¹.

2. Apply online or on paper

   Use CommonHelp, or mail or bring a Child Care Service Application and Redetermination Form to your LDSS. The VDSS call center at 855-635-4370 can help with applications and case status ⁠⁵.

3. Gather proof

   Bring income for the last 30 days, proof of your job, school or training, your child’s citizenship or legal residency and immunizations, proof of residence, and your ID. Fairfax County asks for three recent pay stubs and a lease or utility bill dated within 30 days ⁠¹⁠⁸. Families experiencing homelessness can be approved for up to 90 days before they provide documents ⁠².

4. Complete the interview

   The LDSS must decide within 30 days of receiving your signed application. That usually includes a short phone interview and a checklist of missing documents, with at least 10 days to return them ⁠²⁠¹.

5. Choose an approved vendor

   If funds are available, the LDSS authorizes care with the provider you pick. Payment can start once you are eligible and have chosen a VDOE-approved vendor. If funds are not available, you go on the waitlist ⁠².

6. Answer quarterly waitlist updates and report big changes

   Return each Waitlist Update form. Once enrolled, report within 10 days if your income goes over 85% of SMI or you move out of your locality ⁠¹⁠².

7. Appeal in writing or by phone

   You can ask for a fair hearing, orally or in writing, through your LDSS or directly with the VDSS Division of Appeals and Fair Hearings. If you appeal before the action takes effect, care can continue. You must repay that care if the LDSS decision is upheld ⁠¹⁠².

8. Enroll in pre-K separately

   Apply for VPI through your school division or its local lead agency (in Fairfax County, the county’s VPI office), not through the LDSS ⁠¹¹⁠¹².

Compare child care assistance in other states or see other help in Virginia.