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Accepts assistance

Affordable Daycare in Virginia

Full-time care at a center costs a median of $191 a week for a baby and $141 for a preschooler in the middle Virginia county (2022). Families who qualify can get help paying through the Child Care Subsidy Program, and the daycares listed here accept it.

daycares that accept child care assistance listed
2,729
towns
282
towns have their own affordable daycare page
125
of all Virginia daycares
55%

Map of Virginia: each dot is a town with daycares that accept child care assistance, sized by how many are listed

Accepts assistance
What puts a daycare on this listThe state record says it accepts child care subsidies, or it says it accepts child care assistance or vouchers.Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

Cost and help paying

What daycare costs in Virginia, and help paying for it

Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle Virginia county (2022)
$191
The median of 133 county medians, from $119 in the lowest county to $559 in the highest.
Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Virginia county (2022)
$141
The median of 133 county medians, from $90 in the lowest county to $496 in the highest.
Head Start or Early Head Start centers in Virginia
166
Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
How to apply: Child Care Subsidy ProgramHead Start in VirginiaDaycare cost in Virginia, by age and county

County prices: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022 (median full-time weekly price).

Virginia

Largest towns for affordable daycare in Virginia

Alexandria221 accept assistanceRichmond123 accept assistanceNorfolk103 accept assistanceVirginia Beach103 accept assistanceWoodbridge98 accept assistanceChesapeake84 accept assistancePortsmouth73 accept assistanceSpringfield71 accept assistanceNewport News64 accept assistanceManassas62 accept assistanceRoanoke59 accept assistanceFairfax54 accept assistance

Programs

Programs in Virginia

Counts come from the state record and what each daycare says it offers. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.

ProgramListed
All daycares4,997
Take infants2,378
Child care centers3,469
Accept subsidy2,729
In-home daycares1,528
Christian & church daycares907
Montessori schools265
Preschools & pre-K4,133
24-hour daycare73
Night daycare348
Early morning daycare1,816
Weekend daycare78
Part-time daycare342
Drop-in daycare64
After-school care3,939
Bilingual daycare93
Head Start166

The Virginia state record

Virginia Department of Education, Office of Child Care Health and Safety licenses daycares in Virginia.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
The ages on each license
Inspections
Every visit the state publishes back to 2012
Cited rules
The inspector's finding, in the state's own words
Search the Virginia state records

Before you enroll

Paying for daycare in Virginia

  1. 1

    Apply for assistance first

    Your state decides who qualifies and how much it pays. Apply through the state's child care assistance office before you choose a daycare.

  2. 2

    Ask about the copayment

    Most families pay a share of the cost. Ask the daycare whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much.

  3. 3

    Ask about open subsidy spots

    Some daycares cap how many children on assistance they take. Ask whether a spot is open now.

  4. 4

    Check the license record

    Open a listing for its state license and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.

Virginia

Cost, inspections and ratios in Virginia

Daycare cost in VirginiaWeekly prices by age and countyWhat Virginia inspectors citeThe rules cited most, and what they meanStaff-to-child ratios in VirginiaHow many children each adult may care forTour checklist for VirginiaQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 282 Virginia towns with affordable daycare, A to Z

A14 towns
B23 towns
C32 towns
D8 towns
E4 towns
F17 towns
G12 towns
H17 towns
I1 town
K3 towns
L17 towns
M24 towns
N15 towns
O4 towns
P13 towns
Q1 town
R15 towns
S29 towns
T8 towns
U2 towns
V5 towns
W17 towns
Y1 town

Nearby

Nearby states

North Carolina3,210 accept assistanceTennessee2,184 accept assistanceKentucky1,644 accept assistanceDistrict of Columbia29 accept assistanceMaryland21 accept assistanceWest Virginia1,183 daycares

Questions

Questions about affordable daycare in Virginia

How many daycares that accept child care assistance are in Virginia?

2,729 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 282 Virginia towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

Which Virginia town has the most daycares that accept child care assistance?

Alexandria, with 221 listed. Next are Richmond (123) and Norfolk (103).

How do I apply for child care assistance in Virginia?

Apply through the Child Care Subsidy Program, run by the Virginia Department of Education and local departments of social services. It is for eligible families who need help with the cost of child care so they can work or attend education programs. Income limits change each year, so check the current limits on the state's site.

Is there free daycare?

Some families can get it. Head Start and Early Head Start are free for children from families who qualify, and some states waive the family's share of the cost for the lowest incomes. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.

Does a daycare that accepts assistance cost more?

Not by itself. Accepting assistance means the daycare takes payments from the state program; its own prices vary like any daycare's. Ask whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much you would pay.

How does child care assistance work?

Each state runs a child care assistance program, paid for in part by the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Families who qualify by income, and usually by working, looking for work or going to school, get help paying a daycare that accepts it; the help is often called a voucher or subsidy. Most families pay a share called a copayment, set by the state. Apply through the Virginia child care assistance office.

Can I get free daycare?

Some families can. States may waive the copayment for families with the lowest incomes, and Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.

Who licenses daycares in Virginia?

Virginia Department of Education, Office of Child Care Health and Safety licenses daycares in Virginia. It publishes its inspections and the rules it cited, and we copy them onto each listing.