Many experts expect the demand to increase as more and more families are forced to have two incomes to meet their needs. Parents are no longer satisfied with just having a place to leave their children throughout the day and are desperately seeking out an educational, yet warm and loving, facility in which to entrust their little ones.
The Virginia Child Day-Care Council is authorized by the Code of Virginia to adopt regulatory standards for licensure and operation of day care centers in Virginia. The Virginia Department of Social Services licenses day centers and enforces these standards through announced and unannounced visits. There are several categories of regulated daycare in Virginia:
Child day centers are child day programs offered to (i) two or more children under the age of 13 years in a facility that is not the residence of the provider or of any of the children in care or (ii) 13 or more children at any location. A child day program is a regularly operating service arrangement for children where, during the absence of a parent or guardian, a person or organization has agreed to assume responsibility for the supervision, protection, and well-being of a child under the age of 13 years for less than a 24-hour period.
Short-Term Child Day Centers are regulated child day centers that operate during only part of the year. Examples include sports camps and summer camps. Short-term Child Day Centers follow the same guidelines as Licensed Child Day Care Centers through VDSS.
Family day home care is the most common form of child care in this country, especially for younger children. Parents may choose family child care for its intimate, home-like setting, flexible hours, consistency of caregiver, and small group size. The Code of Virginia mandates the licensure of family day homes that provide care for six to twelve children (exclusive of the provider’s own children and any children who reside in the home). The care may be offered in the home of the provider or in the home of any of the children in care.
Child care centers operated by religious institutions may be exempt from licensure, per section 63.2-1716 of the Code of Virginia. Outlined in the Code are the requirements for religious exempt child day centers, who, unlike licensed centers do not have to meet the regulations prescribed by the Child Day Care Council. Religious exempt child care facilities must meet the requirements for exemption from federal taxes for religious purposes, or be exempt from paying local real estate taxes on the property owned by the sponsoring religious institution.
Section 63.2-1717 of the Code of Virginia allows preschool programs operated by private schools that are accredited by a statewide accrediting organization (or another accrediting organization recognized by the Board of Education) to be exempt from licensure.
The State Board of Education recognizes the accreditation process for private schools administered through the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE) Commission on Accreditation. Accrediting organizations that are approved by VCPE administer their own accrediting process for schools in their organizations.
In order for preschool and nursery school programs operated by accredited private schools to be certified, certain information must be filed with VDSS before the beginning of the school year or calendar year. That information must be filed annually thereafter. The information includes, but is not limited to, verification of accreditation or accreditation candidacy, a statement of intent, documentation that the parents or guardians of children in care have received written notification that the preschool is exempt from licensure, documentation that the school requires criminal record clearances on all employees of the preschool, a list of staff qualifications and health and fire inspections reports.
Voluntary registration is a form of regulation offered to family day homes that are not required to be licensed. These homes have fewer than 6 children in care, not including the provider’s own children and any children who reside in the home. Voluntary registration is not available in areas where local ordinances regulate unlicensed providers (Arlington, Fairfax, and Alexandria). The program is administered by four agencies that have contracted with the department to perform this function in a specific area of the state. Memorial Child Guidance Clinic performs this function for providers in Chesterfield County.
A family day home provider who wishes to be registered pays a contracting agency a $50 fee to apply for a two-year registration certificate. An applicant for a certificate of registration must have criminal history background checks, child abuse registry clearances, and tuberculosis screenings for herself and all adult members of the household. An applicant must also complete a health and safety checklist assessing the home and personal qualifications.
The contracting agency visits the home to confirm that basic safeguards are in place to protect children in care. Upon recommendation by the contracting agency, the Commissioner issues the two-year certificate of registration. During the period of registration, a small sample of registered homes is monitored by the contracting agency and state licensing staff for compliance with staffing requirements and the health and safety checklist.
The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) Division of Licensing Programs (DOLP) is responsible for the licensure of both assisted living facilities (ALFs) and adult day care centers (ADCCs). ALFs provide care in residential settings, while ADCCs provide less-than-24-hour care to persons who reside elsewhere. Through the administration of the licensing program, the Department of Social Services assumes responsibility to ensure that licensed facilities and agencies provide adults with at least a minimum level of care in accordance with regulations prescribed by the State Board of Social Services.
This is a direct loan from the VSBFA to a child care center or a family home provider. Bank participation is not required, though often times the bank will provide financing for the center’s land and building and the VSBFA can provide a loan for the other necessary items the center needs such as cots, fencing, playground equipment, buses, etc.
https://www.sbsd.virginia.gov/virginia-small-business-financing-authority/