Virginia has 3,590 childcare centers and homes in its state licensing records, across 375 cities, with about 284,000 licensed seats at the 2,686 centers that report capacity. Virginia Department of Education, Office of Child Care Health and Safety handles licensing. This guide covers the rules that apply, how to check a license, how subsidy works, and how to find a center in your city.
Data updated October 31, 2026 · Source: Virginia Department of Education, Office of Child Care Health and Safety (opens in a new tab) public records · How we compile this →
Centers and homes listed per city, of 3,590 in Virginia.
All 375 Virginia citiesJump to a letter, or open a group below.
A child care program for two or more children under age 13 in a facility that is not the home of the provider or of any child in care, or for 13 or more children at any location. Children are in care for less than 24 hours. Source: Code of Virginia §22.1-289.02 (opens in a new tab)
| Age | Staff : children | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 0–15 months | 1:4 | 8VAC20-780-350.A-B (Tables 1 and 2) (opens in a new tab) |
| 16–23 months | 1:5 | 8VAC20-780-350.A-B (Tables 1 and 2) (opens in a new tab) |
| 2 years | 1:8 | 8VAC20-780-350.A-B (Tables 1 and 2) (opens in a new tab) |
| 3–4 years | 1:10 | 8VAC20-780-350.A-B (Tables 1 and 2) (opens in a new tab) |
These are the state’s minimums for licensed child care centers, and a center can staff richer. Read the linked rule text before relying on a figure: regulations change.
Open Search for Child Care (opens in a new tab) and look the center up by name and city. Confirm the license type and that its status is active.
Open the center’s record and read whatever inspection or compliance information the state posts for it.
Our page shows the license type and capacity next to the hours and programs the center lists, so you can weigh the state’s record beside what the center offers.
Each Clear Day center page in Virginialinks to that center’s state record when the state publishes one, so step 3 starts one click from step 1.
Virginia child care subsidy. Administered by: Overseen by VDOE; administered by Virginia Department of Social Services and local departments of social services
69%are current subsidy providers1,857 of 2,686 centers reporting
Virginia pre-K. Administered by: Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)
Federal programs for families with low incomes, from pregnancy through age five.
100%accept Head Start18 of 18 centers reporting
100%accept Early Head Start17 of 17 centers reporting
centers have at least one inspection on record
were inspected in the last 12 months
2,454 of 2,684 centers with an inspection date on record
Each state records inspections its own way, so compare a center with others in the same state.
Virginia has 3,590 childcare centers and homes in the state licensing records Clear Day reads, across 375 cities. Alexandria has the most, with 200, followed by Richmond (173) and Virginia Beach (156).
For children 0–15 months in licensed child care centers, Virginia allows up to 4 children per staff member, a ratio of 1:4 under 8VAC20-780-350.A-B (Tables 1 and 2). For 16–23 months it is 1:5. The full table is on this page.
Look the center up in Search for Child Care, the state's public license lookup. Confirm the license is active, then read whatever inspection or compliance information the state posts for that center. Clear Day center pages link to the state's record for that center when the state publishes one.
Yes. Virginia's child care subsidy program is Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP). 1,857 of the 2,686 centers in our directory that report subsidy status (69%) are current providers. Public pre-K is a separate option: Virginia Preschool Initiative.
Virginia Quality Birth to Five is Virginia's quality rating program for child care. The ratings are the state's. Clear Day does not rate or review centers.
Center records come from Virginia Department of Education, Office of Child Care Health and Safety public records. Every share on the page names the number of centers it is counted over, and the methodology page explains how.
The state records on this page were last imported October 31, 2026. Each center page shows its own record date. See the methodology for details.
Your center is already listed here, built from state records. Claim it free and get a free enrollment website built from your listing.
Virginia is one of 36 states in the directory: 174,784 centers and homes across 14,127 cities. Each state has its own guide with its own rules, agency and license lookup.
Center records come from Virginia Department of Education, Office of Child Care Health and Safety public records. Every percentage on this page names the number of Virginia centers it is counted over. This page is a guide, not legal advice. Clear Day does not rate, rank or review centers.
This information is sourced from public records and may be incomplete or out of date. For the most current and accurate details, please verify directly with Virginia Department of Education, Office of Child Care Health and Safety or contact the center directly. Clear Day does not rate, rank or endorse any center.
Data updated Oct 31, 2026 · Source: Virginia Department of Education, Office of Child Care Health and Safety public records · Virginia license lookup (opens in a new tab) · How we compile this →