Preschools & Day Care in Virginia, by city

Virginia Preschools Guide covers every preschool, day care center and child care center in the state with Google reviews, from Northern Virginia and Richmond to Hampton Roads, Roanoke, Charlottesville and the small towns of the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia. Every city with three or more programs has its own page, with separate lists for day care, preschool, Montessori, infant care and pre-K where a city has enough of each, so a parent can go straight to the kind of care they need.

Each listing shows what the program tells parents about itself: the ages it takes, whether it runs a pre-K class, whether it accepts child care subsidies, meals, early drop-off and late pickup, summer camp and any accreditation it names. Where a program has said nothing, the page says so, and a quick call will answer it.

Several public programs shape how Virginia families pay for early care. The Child Care Subsidy Program pays part of the cost for eligible working families, who apply on CommonHelp or at their local department of social services and pay a copayment. The Virginia Preschool Initiative funds preschool for at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds, and Mixed Delivery places eligible young children in private centers and homes. Head Start and Early Head Start add free federal options for eligible families.

Licensing in Virginia sits with the Department of Education, which took over child care from Social Services in 2021. Some programs are licensed, others are religiously exempt, certified or voluntarily registered. Before you enroll, look the program up in VDOE's Search for Child Care tool to see its license or exemption and its inspection reports, then use the city pages below to build a short list and call.