Child Care Subsidies & Assistance in Virginia

Virginia's Child Care Subsidy uses locality-based income tiers with a 7% copay cap (raised from 5% July 2025). Nearly 13,000 children waitlisted as of Dec 2024. Virginia offers a child-care expense deduction (not credit); 20% refundable EITC sunsets Jan 2027.

Data current as of May 21, 2026

Child care subsidy (CCDF) in Virginia

Program name: Virginia Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP) plus Mixed Delivery Program
Administered by: Virginia Department of Education (Office of Early Childhood Education, consolidated 2021), administered by VDSS and local Departments of Social Services
Income ceiling: Locality-based tiers (Group I / II / III) determined by your locality, not a single statewide dollar figure. Continued eligibility up to 85% State Median Income per federal rule. Exact dollar limits by family size are published in the "Family Eligibility for the Child Care Subsidy Program" document at childcare.virginia.gov.
Family fee / copay: $5 per month copay for households below 100% FPL. For all other eligible households, copay is capped at 7% of annual income (raised from 5% effective July 1, 2025, fully implemented by September 1, 2025). The federal 2024 Final Rule caps the family fee at 7% of family income.
Waitlist status: Multi-year waitlist — Nearly 13,000 children on CCSP and Mixed Delivery waitlists as of December 2024. The FY26 budget makes only partial progress: House language repurposes about $3M of unused VPI funds for ~318 new slots; Senate adjustments target 6,900–7,700 slots; neither chamber fully eliminates the waitlist.
Apply: www.childcare.virginia.gov/families/paying-for-child-care

State pre-K in Virginia

Program name: Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI), VPI Expansion (3-year-olds), and Mixed Delivery
Administered by: Virginia Department of Education in partnership with the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (Mixed Delivery)
Access: Income-targeted
Eligibility: Primary criteria: family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, experiencing homelessness, parent dropout, or IDEA Part B eligibility (the IDEA category is income-blind). VPI Expansion serves at-risk 3-year-olds not served by Head Start. Mixed Delivery extends VPI into community-based licensed centers and family child care.
Coverage: Combined CCSP + Mixed Delivery + VPI state funding is approximately $366.3 million in FY 2025 / $461.7 million in FY 2026 (standalone VPI is a smaller share of this envelope). Applications generally due May 15. Virginia preschool access has been declining despite legislative efforts.
Apply: www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/early-childhood-care-education/virginia-preschool-initiative

State tax credits & extras in Virginia

State CDCC: Virginia does not offer a state Child and Dependent Care Credit. Virginia does not offer a state Child and Dependent Care Credit. The state does allow a Child and Dependent Care Expenses Deduction (different from a credit) — see below.

Other state programs and credits

Virginia Child and Dependent Care Expenses Deduction
Deduct the federal CDCC expense base used on your federal return (up to $3,000 for one dependent, $6,000 for two or more) from Virginia taxable income. Reduces the income on which Virginia tax is computed. Codified at § 58.1-322.03.
Virginia Refundable Earned Income Tax Credit — 20% of federal
Refundable Virginia EITC at 20% of federal EITC for tax year 2025 (replacing the prior choice of 15% refundable or 20% non-refundable). Scheduled to sunset January 1, 2027 unless extended.

Where to apply or get help in Virginia

Find a daycare in Virginia

Once you know what you qualify for, Childery's directory helps you pick a provider. Browse Virginia's licensed daycares with independent Process and Structural quality ratings, or search by ZIP code or city.

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Sources

Every state layers its own program on top of a federal floor — CCDF (the federal block grant), Head Start, the federal DCFSA (employer pre-tax benefit), and the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit. See the federal overview for what the floor looks like before any state adds.