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The Guidelines for Notification and Reporting of Communicable Diseases explains the requirement to notify parents when children at a child day center have been exposed to a communicable disease listed in the Virginia Department of Health’s communicable disease chart; as well as the requirement to report all outbreaks to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) pursuant to 12VAC5-90-80 and 12VAC5-90-90 as referenced in the standards. The guidance document seeks to provide clear directions to providers on regulatory responsibilities related to notifying parents of their child’s exposure to diseases to ensure the safety and well-being of children in care and reporting to the local health department for the benefit of the community.

0 Comments     Closes: 8/26/26

The purpose of this transmittal is to provide a summary of the revised guidance for the Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP). Policy changes and clarifications in this transmittal fall under the following categories: • Attendance Tracking System Update – Revisions throughout the manual in response to the sunsetting of EPICC/VaECC and removal of associated terms, and guidance. Revisions note the 1 December 2025 implementation of Child Care Program Attendance and Schedule System (PASS) insert updated attendance tracking terms and guidance. • Policy and Process Clarifications – Edits to existing guidance to clarify expectations, provide additional examples, and address specific gaps in guidance. The table below summarizes key policy and process changes in each section of the manual, including whether the change was in response to a mandate from the General Assembly or a policy or process clarification. Note that revisions to wording for clarity, brevity, and consistency have been made throughout the manual and are not highlighted in this table if no other changes were made in a given section

8 Comments     Last comment: 8/12/26 4:23 pm     Closes: 8/26/26

Section §22.1-289.05 of the Code of Virginia directs the Board of Education to establish a unified quality rating and improvement system for all publicly funded early childhood providers in order to improve school readiness in the Commonwealth. “A. The Board shall establish a statewide unified public-private system for early childhood care and education in the Commonwealth to ensure that every child has the opportunity to enter kindergarten healthy and ready to learn. Such system shall be administered by the Board, the Superintendent, and the Department and shall be formed, implemented, and sustained through a structure that engages and leverages both state-level authority and regional-level public-private partnership assets.” “B. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the system established pursuant to subsection A shall (i) provide families with coordinated access for referral to early childhood education programs, (ii) provide families with easy-to-understand information about the quality of publicly funded early childhood care and education programs, (iii) establish expectations for the continuous improvement of early childhood care and education programs, and (iv) establish shared expectations for early childhood care and education programs among the Department of Education, the Department of Social Services, local school divisions, and state and regional stakeholders.” The Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5) Guidelines were established in June 2021 and have been submitted to the Board of Education for review and approval annually. The review of the 2026-2027 VQB5 Guidelines mark the sixth time the Board has reviewed such guidelines. As in prior years, the 2026-2027 VQB5 Guidelines include the protocols and expectations for participation in VQB5, as well as the requirements for determining annual quality rating results so that families have clear and comparable information about publicly-funded early childhood options. These guidelines reflect the learnings and data gathered from previous years and continue to set forth the strategies in which all programs will be supported to continuously improve the quality of care and education for Virginia’s youngest learners to ensure all can enter school ready.

0 Comments     Closes: 8/26/26

The Standards of Learning (SOL) define what students are expected to learn at each grade level and course. High-quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) are curricula and educational materials that are aligned to standards and reflect evidence-based practices for teaching and learning. Standards and HQIM work together to fulfill the expectations defined by the Code of Virginia and the priorities set forth in the Board of Education’s Comprehensive Plan (2024-2029). The review and revision of Virginia’s Textbook and HQIM Process is aligned to Priority 1 of the Virginia Board of Education’s Comprehensive Plan, to set and help every learner meet high expectations, by adopting and supporting the implementation of comprehensive, clear, and rigorous academic standards through its selection of textbooks and HQIM. In 2025, the General Assembly enacted Chapters 680 and 683 (House Bill 2777), made changes to the textbook and other high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) that are to be used by school divisions as the basis for local curriculum of classroom instruction in English 6-12, mathematics K-12, science K-12, and history K-12. The changes require that each local school board adopt and implement textbooks and other HQIM in these areas and that each education preparation program that provides training of individuals seeking initial licensure includes a program of coursework and clinical experience in identifying and implementing textbooks and other HQIM. These changes do not impact the existing requirements for required core instructional materials in English K-5 and supplemental and intervention materials in K-8 English as required by the 2022 Virginia Literacy Act. Pursuant to Enactment Clause 7 of Chapters 680 and 683 (2025 Acts of Assembly), the Department was tasked with consulting with experienced teachers, division-level content specialists, and subject matter experts to evaluate proposed changes to the current textbook and review and approval process. Through this consultation, the Department was able to gather information to inform updates to the current review process.

0 Comments     Closes: 8/26/26

Virginia Commonwealth Emergency Assistance Guidelines

0 Comments     Closes: 9/23/26