Virginia Preschool Initiative, explained.

The Virginia Preschool Initiative, known statewide as VPI, is the Commonwealth's state-funded preschool program for at-risk four-year-olds. It is administered by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Office of Early Childhood Care and Education and is delivered through partnerships among public school divisions, Head Start grantees, and licensed community-based child care providers. VPI is free for every enrolled child. The newer Mixed Delivery preschool grants, awarded directly to community-based providers and Head Start agencies, sit alongside VPI and use the same overall quality framework under Virginia Quality Birth to Five.

This guide explains who qualifies right now, how the school-day model works, how VPI interacts with the daycare you may already use, and how to enroll for the 2026 to 2027 program year. Numbers and rules reflect the VDOE VPI and Mixed Delivery Guidelines, 2025 to 2026 cycle.

VPI basics

VPI launched in 1995. It pays approximately $7,500 per child per program year to participating school divisions, which use the funds to operate or contract preschool classrooms for at-risk four-year-olds. The state share is roughly two-thirds, with a local match required from the school division.

Until 2023, VPI was delivered almost entirely inside public school buildings. The Mixed Delivery preschool grant, introduced in 2020 and expanded each year, opened direct funding to community-based daycares and Head Start agencies. Today VPI and Mixed Delivery serve about 20,000 four-year-olds across Virginia. Three-year-old slots are limited and only available in select divisions.

Who qualifies

• The child must be four years old by September 30 of the program year. A small number of divisions offer VPI for three-year-olds as well.
• The child must reside in Virginia, in the school division running the VPI program.
• Family income must be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (for a family of four in 2025, roughly $64,300). Divisions may serve up to 15 percent of slots with families above that threshold.
• Categorical priority is given to children with risk factors including English Language Learner status, IEP, homelessness, foster care, parent education level, and family income below 100 percent FPL.

In Fairfax County, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington, Richmond, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton, and Newport News, demand exceeds capacity in most years. Apply early.

The school day

VPI requires a minimum of 5.5 hours per day and 180 days per year, mirroring the local K-12 calendar. Many divisions exceed the minimum and operate 6 to 6.5 hours per day. Mixed Delivery community-based sites typically operate a full daycare day (9 to 10 hours) with the VPI instructional hours embedded inside.

High-quality VPI requirements

VDOE requires every VPI classroom (district or Mixed Delivery) to participate in VQB5, Virginia's unified preschool quality measurement system. Required elements include:

• A lead teacher with a Bachelor's degree and a Virginia Preschool through Grade 3 license, or working under an approved licensure pathway.
• Maximum class size of 18.
• Maximum staff-to-student ratio of 1:9 (one teacher plus one assistant for every 18 children).
• Curriculum aligned to Virginia's Early Learning and Development Standards.
• Annual classroom observation using CLASS, with VQB5 performance ratings published publicly.
• Family engagement plans and at least two formal conferences per year.

VPI inside a daycare

Under Mixed Delivery, community-based daycares and Head Start grantees can hold VPI funds directly. When a daycare is a Mixed Delivery grantee, VPI pays for the preschool instructional day, and the family pays for the before-care, after-care, summer, and school-holiday weeks at the provider's regular wrap-around rate. The child stays in one building with the same caregiver team all day.

If your provider does not hold a Mixed Delivery grant, you can keep them and pay tuition, switch to a district VPI site, or move to a Mixed Delivery community site. The Mixed Delivery grant list is published annually by VDOE and updated as new grants are awarded.

The wrap-around math

How to enroll

1. Identify your school division and Mixed Delivery options. Every Virginia school division decides whether to offer VPI and how many slots. Most populous divisions do. VDOE publishes a Mixed Delivery community-site directory each year.
2. Decide on site preference. Public school site or community-based Mixed Delivery site. Families with a current Mixed Delivery provider often select that site.
3. Apply through the division Early Childhood office. Fairfax County, Richmond, and Norfolk use unified online applications. Smaller divisions use site-by-site applications.
4. Gather documents. Child's birth certificate, immunization record, two proofs of Virginia residence, proof of family income, and any documents supporting priority eligibility.
5. Apply early. Primary enrollment opens in February or March for the September start. Rolling enrollment continues through the school year if capacity remains.

Common questions

Is VPI universal? No. Virginia has not enacted a universal pre-K entitlement. VPI is income-conditioned to 200 percent FPL with limited above-threshold flexibility. Fairfax, Loudoun, and a small number of higher-income divisions run additional locally funded preschool programs that extend access.

Can VPI serve my three-year-old? Most VPI funding is for four-year-olds. A small number of divisions offer VPI three-year-old slots; the legislature has gradually expanded this option. Ask your division.

Can my child attend VPI and a separate daycare? Yes. Many families enroll in a district VPI classroom and use a separate daycare for before-care, after-care, and summer. The state and the family pay separately.

What about summer? VPI runs the 180-day school year. Mixed Delivery community sites typically remain open through summer at the provider's regular rate.

Where to go next

Browse our city directory for VPI and Mixed Delivery partner daycare details: Richmond, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach. The broader Virginia state daycare guide covers VQB5, the Child Care Subsidy Program, and Virginia DOE licensing across the Commonwealth.

For comparison with other state pre-K programs, see our explainers on Maryland Pre-K Expansion, North Carolina NC Pre-K, DC Universal Pre-K, and the broader cost pillar. For families weighing private preschool against VPI, our Preschool cost explainer and Preschool vs Pre-K guide cover the trade-offs. Before any first tour, use the comparison checklist and the cost calculator to estimate your real out-of-pocket.