Bill > SB134

Introduced Session

Public education; early childhood care and education; funding formula calculations; report. Requires the Department of Education to establish and maintain a calculation to be used to provide a cost estimate for funding needed per biennium to address parental demand for the provision of early childhood care and education services and requires such calculation to include (i) an annual per-child cost (a) determined through re-benchmarking for the Virginia Preschool Initiative, (b) based on re-benchmarking of the Department of Education's federally approved alternative methodology for the Mixed Delivery Program, and (c) based on a re-benchmarking of the Department of Education's federally approved alternative cost methodology for the Child Care Subsidy Program; (ii) an estimate of parental demand and choice preferences based on historic growth and current eligibility criteria; and (iii) an estimate of the number of slots to be added to support local or regional economic development efforts and public-private partnerships focused on increasing the supply of child care services, giving priority to localities or regions identified as child care deserts. The bill also contains several provisions relating to the use and appropriation of funds as applicable to the calculation. Finally, the bill requires the Department to submit to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education a report on the data used to calculate the minimum funding and number of slots for the funding formula in accordance with the provisions of the bill.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Mamie Locke (D)*, 

Passed House with substitute (93-Y 3-N 0-A) (on 02/25/2026)

Official Document