Choosing Quality Child Care

Overview

Finding "the right place" for your child can take time and effort on your part, but it is one of the most important tasks you will ever undertake. Begin your search for child care as early as possible. Use the following links to locate providers in your area:

Or, you may call the Loudoun County Department of Family Services at 703-777-0353.

You may also call the Division of Licensing Programs (PDF), Virginia Department of Social Services, or call the Virginia Statewide Information and Referral System at 800-230-6977.

Additional Steps

Additional steps to take when choosing quality child care:

  • Check the local newspaper and bulletin boards at work or school.
  • Look up child care in the Yellow Pages.
  • Talk to other parents and people whose opinion you respect.
  • When you've narrowed the list, spend at least 15 minutes in a telephone interview and visit the facility with your child or children more than once, with one of the visits unannounced.

In Virginia, a child care provider is required to be licensed if she cares for more than five children from birth through age 12 in her home at any one time, other than her own children or children who reside in the home. In addition, a provider who cares for more than four children under two years of age in her home at any one time, including her own children or children who reside in the home, must be licensed or registered. Similarly, all child care centers must be licensed unless they are exempt from licensure in accordance with the law.

The Division of Licensing Programs (PDF) can assist you in screening child care programs by providing licensure history information on providers you are considering, but final responsibility must rest with parents. This checklist provided by the Virginia Department of Social Services can help you decide if the places you are considering meet the needs of you and your child.

For More Information

For more information on licensing and additional screening tools, please contact:

Child Care Licensing Agency
Virginia Department of Social Services
Division of Licensing Programs
7 N 8th Street
2nd Floor
Richmond, VA 23219-1849

Phone: 804-726-7154
Toll Free: 800-543-7545
Fax: 804-726-7132

Head Start - State Collaboration Office
Division of Child Care and Development
7 N Eighth Street
6th Floor
Richmond, VA, 23219-3301

Phone: 804-726-7640
Fax: 804-726-7655

Child Care Resource and Referral Contact
Virginia Child Care Resource and Referral Network
308 Turner Road
Suite A
Richmond, VA 23225

Phone: 804-285-0846
Toll Free: 866-481-1913
Fax: 804-285-0847

Child Care Subsidy Agency
Virginia Department of Social Services
Division of Child Care and Development
Office of Child Care
7 N 8th Street
Richmond, VA 23219-1849

Phone: 804-726-7640
Fax: 804-726-7655

Child Care Food Program Administrator
Mercer Corporate Park
300 Corporate Boulevard
Robbinsville, New Jersey 08691-1598

Phone: 609-259-5050
Fax: 609-259-5128

Office of Child Support Enforcement 
Division of Child Support Enforcement
7 N Eighth Street
1st Floor
Richmond, Virginia 23219

Phone: 800-257-9986
Fax: 804-726-7476

To apply for Child Care Assistance, please go to the Commonwealth of Virginia's new online assistance application system called CommonHelp Portal.