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Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes | Virginia Preschool Initiative | Early Childhood Special Education | Head Start | VQB5 | Early Learning
Save the Date
March 11 at 5:30 p.m. - Event: Valley Regional Listening Session. Location: The Depot Grille,
STREAMin3 offers free, monthly professional development opportunities for Virginia providers. In March, mathematics is the focus of the two virtual events:
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March 12: 1 p.m. (Webinar, 30 mins)
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March 25: 6 p.m. (Live Online, 90 mins)
March 20 at 1 p.m. - Webinar: Meeting All Children’s Needs: Using Inclusive and Responsive Practices. Register.
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Recognizing Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Every March, we celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. It’s an opportunity to honor the talents, dreams, and achievements of people with developmental disabilities. Whether it’s autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, or learning disorders, these disabilities are part of the human experience. Early childhood programs around the Commonwealth are committed to achieving a culture of meaningful and full inclusion of individuals with developmental disabilities. During the month of March, consider what you can do to help those with developmental disabilities to connect and thrive in the communities where they live and go to school.
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Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month
In honor of Brain Injury Awareness Month, VDOE is encouraging childcare providers and educators to focus on prevention of brain injuries. Common causes of brain injuries include falls, traffic accidents, and head trauma. Caregivers should ensure:
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safety gates are installed on stairs;
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there is sufficient surfacing under and around playground equipment;
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helmets are used when children ride bicycles and trikes;
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safety seats are used during transportation; and
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information about shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma is shared with staff and families.
As a reminder, head injuries require close monitoring and should be reported to families immediately.
Severe Weather Awareness Week is March 10-14 and the Virginia Statewide Tornado Drill is March 11
Join VDOE in recognizing Virginia’s Severe Weather Awareness Week March 10-14. Child care providers and educators are encouraged to participate in the statewide tornado drill on Tuesday, March 11 at 9:45 a.m. This is a great opportunity to ensure that your emergency preparedness plan is up to date and contains action plans for severe weather such as tornados, flooding, thunderstorms and more. Learn more on the Viriginia Department of Emergency Management website.
Child Care Provider Valley Regional Listening Session on March 11
Join the Office of Child Care Health and Safety (OCCHS) for an in-person listening session in Staunton. Come any time during the session to share your questions and thoughts with leadership of the OCCHS.
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Event: Valley Regional Listening Session
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Date: March 11
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Time: 5:30 - 7 p.m.
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Location: The Depot Grille, 42 Middlebrook Avenue, Staunton, Virginia 24401 (Note: Food will not be provided but can be purchased. Attendees are responsible for the cost of any food and beverages purchased.)
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Virginia Preschool Initiative
Save the Date: Spring Webinar Series
VDOE is hosting a three-part webinar series to prepare school divisions for the 2025-2026 school year. VPI coordinators and VPI enrollment staff are encouraged to attend. Topics are listed below. Registration Links will be sent out soon
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March 11 at 9 a.m. - Best Practices for Eligibility Determination: Review of determining primary vs secondary eligibility and needed documentation. Discussion of points systems and local criteria.
- March 18 at 9 a.m. – Program Data and the Interconnected System: Review of all VPI and ECSE data sources and how this information interacts with other early childhood and K-12 data systems.
- March 25 at 9 a.m. – Blended Programming: Overview of all publicly funded ECCE programs and how they may work together with VPI programs. Discussions on how program requirements overlap and differ will be included. As well as how funding can be braided to maximize funds.
Early Childhood Special Education
Please see the “Save the Date: Spring Webinar Series” in the VPI Section.
NEW this year! To support unification efforts, we will include all our school-based teams (VPI, ECSE, Title I, and school-based Head Start) in the same webinars. ECSE administrators will benefit from attending the March 18 Program Data and the Interconnected System and the March 25 Blended Programming webinars. Registration is now open.
Get to Know Your ECSE Child Count and Placement Data Webinar – April 1
Learn about the December 1, 2024, Child Count and Placement Data for the state and your school-division. Data will be presented as well as a description of how to interpret it. Participants may ask questions related to their data collection, reporting, and analysis. Because VDOE will be sharing state- and division-level data, participants are encouraged to attend the virtual presentation as it will not be recorded. The individual(s) who has primary responsibility for ECSE programs from each division is encouraged to attend; however, learning about child count and placement data will benefit all school-based early childhood program leaders.
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Webinar: Get to Know Your ECSE Child Count and Placement Data
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Date: April 1 at 11 a.m.
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Resource Recharge: Indicator 12
Spring is around the corner! Have you checked in with your Part C agency recently? Now is a good time to make sure you and your staff know the regulations and procedures for a smooth and timely transition for children transitioning from Part C to Part B. Check out the latest LEADS Resource Recharge: Indicator 12 to make sure you are ready for this spring’s transition season.

Head Start
VQB5 - Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System
Update on Proposed 2025-2026 VQB5 Guidelines Webinar on March 21
VDOE will host a webinar for all Early Childhood Care and Education stakeholders about the proposed updates to the 2025-2026 VQB5 Guidelines on Friday, March 21 at noon. (This webinar will be recorded.)
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Webinar: VQB5 Update on 2025-2026 Proposed Guidelines
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Date: March 21 at Noon
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Celebrating Babies and Tots – Winter/Spring Events 2025
Join the VA Infant and Toddler Specialist Network (ITSN) to explore and integrate the concept of community and foster a sense of belonging and connection in the child care setting, that aligns with VQB5 standards. Workshop tracks are available for both providers and directors. Resource materials will be provided, including children's books and toys for infants and toddlers. Information about the dates, locations, and registration can be found on the VA ITSN website.
Early Learning Support
Now Available: Infant, Toddler, and Family Day Home Curriculum Option Webinar Recordings
On February 25, VDOE hosted two webinars focused on exploring available vetted and approved curriculum choices for infant, toddler, and family day home classrooms in VQB5. Recorded webinars can be viewed in English or with Spanish-translation. Find these and other recordings to support curriculum choice in the Early Childhood Curriculum Get to Know You Series Library.
Save the Date: VECC presents Meeting ALL Children’s Needs: Using Inclusive and Responsive Practices
Virginia Early Childhood Consultation (VECC) provides free, quarterly webinars (with live Spanish interpretation) for leaders, providers, and teachers at sites serving children birth-to-five across Virginia. The upcoming webinar’s topic is inclusive and responsive practices, including tips to respond to all children's needs with connections to CLASS® dimensions such as Teacher Sensitivity and Regard for Child/Student Perspectives.
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Webinar: Meeting ALL Children’s Needs: Using Inclusive and Responsive Practices
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Date: March 20 at 1 p.m.
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Register
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Contact vecc@virginia.edu for more information
Save the Date: Join STREAMin3 for Free Trainings in March
STREAMin3 offers free, monthly professional development opportunities for Virginia providers. In March, mathematics is the focus of the two virtual events.
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March 12: 1 p.m. (Webinar, 30 mins)
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March 25: 6 p.m. (Live Online, 90 mins)
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STREAMin3 Office Hours every Tuesday!
Join STREAMin3 coaches live on Zoom, Tuesdays between 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. to ask a coach your questions. Spanish-speaking coach available.
New to STREAMin3?
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Ready B5 Recap Winter Edition is Here!
Click to view the winter edition of Ready B5 Recap, the Quarterly Newsletter for Early Childhood Care and Education in Virginia.
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