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Establishment of The Governor's Executive Leadership Team on School Readiness 

The Governor and First Lady announced an Executive Directive to establish an Executive Leadership Team on School Readiness, which will be co-chaired by Commissioner Duke Soren and Chief School Readiness Officer Jenna Conway. 

 The team is being tasked with two core objectives:

  1. Ensure that all at-risk three-year-olds and four-year-olds in Virginia have access to a publicly-subsidized option; and 
  2. Ensure that all publicly-funded programs that serve children birth to five are measured as quality as part of a uniform quality rating system by 2025.  

The team is directed to: 

  1. Conduct a series of stakeholder listening sessions around the state to share needs assessment and strategic plan findings and to solicit feedback on how to improve school readiness in the Commonwealth.
  2. Analyze existing funding streams and formulas including, but not limited to the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI), IDEA Part B, Title I, Early Head Start, Head Start and the Child Care Development Block Grant in order to make recommendations on how to maximize access for underserved children and families. Analysis should illustrate what would be required to ensure that every underserved three-year-old and four-year-old has access to a publicly subsidized option by 2025 without jeopardizing access for infants and toddlers.
  3. Build, pilot and scale a uniform quality measurement and improvement system for all early childhood care and education programs that accept public funds to serve children five and under outside of their homes. 
  4. Develop recommendations to most effectively consolidate state oversight and administration for all early care and education programs that serve children out of their home.

 Here is another good summary:  https://bluevirginia.us/2019/07/gov-northam-establishes-executive-leadership-team-on-school-readiness

 You can read the full details here.