Early Childhood Education Transition Timeline

As the early childhood education reform bills (SB578/HB1012) continue to move towards passage at the General Assembly, we wanted to share more detail of the proposed transition timeline for early childhood programs to transition from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Education. This proposed timeline will help stakeholders better anticipate how changes may impact their areas of work.

The House version of the legislation (HB1012- Bulova) added detail that state agencies and others would create a transition workgroup to ensure a smooth workplan and operations transitions between the two agencies.

*Please note that these are the current proposals as of 2/11/20 and could be revised as we move closer to implementation. *

Results of Transition:

• Establishes the Board of Education (BOE) and DOE as responsible for oversight, effective July 1, 2021.
• Creates an Early Childhood Education Advisory Committee to the BOE to serve as the state’s Early Childhood Advisory Committee (ECAC) as a requirement for federal grants.
• Moves the existing child care licensing requirement to VDOE and establishes authority to the BOE.
• Transfers the budget for the $181 million Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) to VDOE effective July 1, 2021
• As of July 1, 2021 transition licensing staff from VDSS to VDOE as well as administrators and central office staff.
• DSS will still license child welfare agencies such as child-placing agencies, residential facilities, foster homes and adult living facilities.

April 2020: VDSS & VDOE finalize MOU for transitioning staff; VDOE begins hiring additional transition staff in collaboration with VDSS

June 2020: All Quality staff at VDOE (including Head Start Collaboration Office); Begin review of quality contracts; VDOE begins transition workgroup with relevant agency staff and representatives from the Office of Planning and Budget, the House Appropriations and Senate Finance committees, and the Board of Education.

August 2020: Plan for federal CCDF funds transition due

October 2020: VDSS & VDOE finalize transition MOU; ECAC begins work

December 2020: Update on transition plan to the GA; DOE begins recruiting for any vacancies (VDSS staff indicating that will not transition) for start date of 6/29.

May 2021: ECAC begins review of guidelines for unified measurement system and practice year

June 2021: Quality contracts aligned at VDOE for practice year; All licensing and central office staff move to VDOE

July 2021: VDOE official oversight of licensing, subsidy and CCDF funds

December 2021: Follow-up report on transition due to the GA

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