Child Care Assistance and Early Childhood Resources

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Child Care Assistance​

West Virginia's Child Care Program provides financial assistance to working parents or, in some cases, parents attending school, to cover the costs of certified family based or licensed center based child care.The Program provides subsidy for child care to families who meet income requirements, promoting long-term self-sufficiency by enabling parents to work or attend education activities.  Financial assistance covers the majority of the cost of direct care and protection of children while parents work, attend training or may otherwise be unable to provide care.    This program strives to educate parents about the availability of quality child care, enhance children's early learning and support early learning programs working to improve the quality of child care services.  A statewide system of Child Care Resource and Referral agencies provide child care resource information and financial assistance to eligible families.   The Child Care Resource and Referral agencies also educate consumers on selecting appropriate child care and refer parents to child care providers in their area.​​



Early Childhood Resources

WV Head Start and Early Head Start Programs

​West Virginia Head Start provides children with essential educational resources, including school readiness, so that every child is awarded an opportunity to learn. West Virginia Head Start programs help parents grow as individuals, professionally and within their families, through training and leadership opportunities.  West Virginia Head Start​ offers these services with the ultimate goal of providing the opportunity for success to each participating family.  For more information, visit https://www.wvheadstart.org/​


Early Care Share West Virginia

Early Care Share WV is a free resource designed to share information, cost savings, and management resources to help early childhood programs, professionals and students access up-to-date state-specific and national information. The site provides access to forms, handbooks, policies, cost savings, classroom material templates and more. Membership is entirely free. Visit www.earlycaresharewv.org to request a log-in account.


West Virginia Infant/Toddler Specialists Network

The Infant/Toddler Specialist Network provides technical assistance and professional development opportunities to caregivers of infants and toddlers. The 12 specialists across the state assist caregivers in providing West Virginia’s youngest children supportive, nurturing environments. Their mission is to help these caregivers foster responsive relationships with both children and their families, which will support children in achieving optimal developmental outcomes. For more information, visit www.wvit.org.


WV Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care Designation

The WV Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care Designation Initiative is a voluntary program to support families in their choice of infant feeding plans. If you would like more information, please contact your local Child Care Resource and Referral agency’s Infant/Toddler Specialist, or visit the Infant/Toddler Specialist Network website at www.wvit.org and click on the BFCCD tab.


WV Early Childhood Training Connections and Resources

WV Early Childhood Training Connections and Resources (WVECTCR) is a statewide program designed to provide professional development opportunities for the early care and education community. Through an extensive network of information, training and technical assistance, resources, and collaboration, WVECTCR strives to improve the quality of early education services for young children and their families. For more information, visit www.wvearlychildhood.org​.
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Resource and Referral Professional Development Teams

Six Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies across West Virginia employ a professional development team to provide training and technical assistance to early childhood programs. See the Resource and Referral Agency Area Map to contact your local CCR&R agency.


Tiered Reimbursement​​

The Child Care Tiered Reimbursement System​ is a quality initiative that offers higher subsidy payments to child care programs that demonstrate they meet higher standards of care. Programs that are licensed as a center or facility and registered family child care homes are eligible to apply for a higher quality tier level. West Virginia currently has three quality tier levels: Tier I reimbursement rates for licensed or registered programs, Tier II rates for programs that meet a state-specific set of quality standards, and Tier III reimbursement rates for programs that are accredited by an approved accrediting agency. For more information, contact Elizabeth Teel at Elizabeth.D.Teel@wv.gov​


WV Pre-K

West Virginia passed legislation in 2002 requiring the state to expand access to preschool education programs in order to make prekindergarten available to all 4-year-olds in the state by the 2012-2013 school year. West Virginia's preschool program, called West Virginia Universal Pre-K, is available in all 55 counties. West Virginia requires that a minimum of half of the programs operate in collaborative settings with private prekindergarten, child care centers, or Head Start programs in order to facilitate expansion of the program. For more information, visit the WVDE Office of Early Learning​.​