In response to the General Assembly, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) established a joint workgroup on the future of out-of-school-time (OST) care for school-age children.

• Enactment language from Chapter 328 (2025 Acts of Assembly) directed the VDOE to convene a workgroup with a group of key stakeholders to review health and safety expectations for OST programs. Chapter 328 directed the workgroup to report findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by December 1, 2025.

• Appropriation Act Item 125.10.I (Chapter 725, 2025 Acts of Assembly) directed the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) to review and recommend adjustments to how the Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP) supports school-age children. Item 125.10.I directed the commission to consult with OST stakeholder groups in developing recommendations, due to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by December 1, 2025.

Given Chapter 32 and Item 125.10.I named the same organizations as needing representation in the development of recommendations for OST care, the VDOE convened a single workgroup to address both directives. This report summarizes workgroup activities and presents the recommendations formulated by the workgroup and presented to the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for review on October 22, 2025 and December 3, 2025. The final draft of this report was approved by the Commission’s Steering Committee following the December 3, 2025 meeting.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations were put forward by the OST workgroup:

Health and Safety

1. Increase stakeholder understanding of licensure, why it matters, and exemptions from licensure among families, providers, and General Assembly members.

2. Explore ways in which VDOE can further support, not just regulate, providers to meet health and safety requirements.

3. Explore alternatives to licensure that provide assurance of health and safety and may be efficient for providers.

4. Explore potential additional statutory and regulatory changes that provide assurance of ageappropriate health and safety while minimizing burden.

Access

1. Identify strategies to ensure that all existing sources of funding are fully maximized.

2. Collect, analyze, and disseminate data to guide a collective understanding of supply, demand, costs, and outcomes associated with the provision of OST services.

3. Explore funding levers to increase revenue to support OST services.

Quality

1. Explore strategies to support the OST workforce by strengthening personnel knowledge, skills, and abilities.

2. Consider strategies to encourage and guide the use of quality standards among programs.

3. Explore the feasibility of developing a Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) system for OST care in Virginia, and practices to support engagement in a QRIS system.

4. Develop statewide data collection to determine existing quality programs and isolate factors influencing quality.