We are proud to have been selected as the lead organization for Ready Region Southside. As a Ready Region lead organization, we are part of a statewide network 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 VQB5.
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 who reflect the diversity of our region, to ensure the early childhood system is designed to work for families.
Our Approach
Strengthening Quality (Virginia Quality Birth to Five)
We will ensure all components are in place to coordinate quality measurement and guide improvement in publicly funded classrooms as part of Virginia Quality Birth to Five.
To prepare all children for kindergarten and in response to state law, Virginia has developed the Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five System (Virginia Quality Birth to Five) 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 Virginia Quality Birth to Five on an annual basis. Programs that do not receive public funding have the option to participate. Details available on the Virginia Quality Birth to Five Participation Requirements webpage.
Ready Regions coordinate and support participation in Virginia Quality Birth to Five for early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs in the region.
To enroll in Virginia Quality Birth to Five, contact:
Sara Evermoore, Early Learning Manager
severmoore@centerforearlysuccess.org
434-797-8887
The Virginia Department of Education administers Virginia Quality Birth to Five as established by the Virginia Board of Education.
To learn more, visit the VDOE Quality Measurement and Improvement (Virginia Quality Birth to Five) website or e-mail vqb5@doe.virginia.edu.
VQB5 Quality Profiles
Virginia Quality Birth to Five Quality Profiles provide information about early childhood program performance on quality measures and other topics of interest to families, policy makers and the public.
Ratings will be published annually, in the fall, and will use the results from CLASS and curriculum measurements gathered during the previous program year to determine the overall annual site ratings.
There are three quality rating levels that describe how well sites are meeting Virginia’s quality expectations:
- Exceeds Expectations (indicated in blue on the site profile)- The site performing at this level demonstrates performance that consistently and considerably surpasses the state’s mission and goals for early childhood care and education.
- Meets Expectations (indicated in green on the site profile) – The site meets the standard in a manner that is consistent with the state’s mission and goals for early childhood care and education.
- Needs Support (indicated in yellow on the site profile) – The site is performing below the established standard or in a manner that is inconsistent with the state’s mission and goals for early care and education.
- Sites who receive a Needs Support rating are required to participate in VDOE site improvement planning, goal setting, and classroom coaching to improve children’s early learning experiences.
VQB5 Quality Profiles can be accessed by visiting the Virginia Department of Education website or clicking this link:
Shared Governance
Ready Region Southside (RRSS) convenes and supports an Advisory Council, a shared governance body, that meets monthly. This includes 16 high-level decision makers representing key stakeholders, including families, in the region.
The council is responsible for informing and supporting initiatives and outcomes across the four pillars of work (Building Relationships, Increasing Access, Strengthening Quality and Engaging Families).
If you are interested in learning more about Shared Governance opportunities, contact Stephanie Mann, RRSS Director at 434-797-8887 Ext. 108
Building Relationships
Ready Region Southside is committed to partnering with other organizations and stakeholders to implement this work. We will engage with leaders across the region to facilitate buy-in for shared accountability and benefit.
Ready Region Southside is committed to partnering with other organizations and stakeholders to implement this work. Our partners include: families, public school, Head Start, private and faith-based childcare, higher education, licensing, business leaders, community service boards, local government, workforce development, libraries and other community organizations.
Increasing Access
Mixed Delivery
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 Southside identifies high quality child care centers and family day homes to provide publicly funded services in private settings that meet the needs and preferences of families.
Quality early learning experiences are essential for preparing children to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. This impact is life-long – research has shown that children who participate in high-quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs are more likely to finish college, be gainfully employed, and be healthier later in life. The Mixed Delivery program provides publicly funded ECCE services in licensed (non-faith-based), private ECCE settings for eligible children. It funds full-day, year-round ECCE services for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, meeting growing demand for publicly funded ECCE at private sites that meet the varied needs and preferences of families.
For more information about Mixed Delivery, contact:
Patricia Ward, Early Learning Coordinator
PWard@centerforearlysuccess.org
434.797.8887
Coordinated Enrollment
Ready Regions is working to coordinate enrollment across publicly funded ECCE programs in the region, such as childcare 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 steady, communicate when they have slots available, and grow in ability to secure the resources for delivery of quality services.
For more information about Coordinated Enrollment, contact:
Kimberly Kelly, Early Learning Specialist
kkelly@centerforearlysuccess.org
434.797.8887
on what programs are available, click here.
Engaging Families
We support a Family Council, made up of families from across our localities, who reflect the diversity of 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.
For more information about Family Engagement, contact
Lesley Sanchez, Early Learning Manager
lsanchez@centerforearlysuccess.org
434.797.8887