We are proud to have been selected as the lead organization for Ready Region Southwest. As a Ready Region Lead Organization, we are a part of a statewide network focused on:
Strengthening quality: We will ensure all components are in place to coordinate quality measurement and guide improvement in publicly funded classrooms as part of VQB5.
Increasing access: We will build and strengthen better processes to help parents learn about and access ECCE programs in their community, while helping ECCE providers connect with families.
Engaging families: We will establish and strengthen strategies and structures to ensure family engagement.
Building relationships: We will engage with leaders across the region to facilitate buy-in for shared accountability and benefit.
Ready Regions is a transformative network designed to bring unprecedented levels of coordination and accountability to early education programs in every community across the Commonwealth.
Each of Virginia's nine Ready Regions has a lead organization charged to partner with parents, school divisions, social and human services agencies, quality improvement networks, early childhood care and education programs, businesses, and other stakeholder organizations to coordinate and integrate critical services and resources for families with young children. United Way of Southwest Virginia is that lead organization for the Southwest Region.
Strengthening Quality.
We will ensure all components are in place to coordinate quality measurements and guide improvement in publicly funded classrooms as part of VQB5.
Virginia's early childhood system must ensure that all children have quality teaching and learning experiences that meet their unique needs. To do this, Virginia has developed the Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five System (VQB5) which recognizes the impact of every classroom, provides feedback to every educator, and supports all publicly funded birth-to-five programs to improve. VQB5 is a measurement and improvement system that focuses on the quality of all publicly-funded birth-five classrooms and supports families to choose quality programming across different program types.
Ready Regions coordinate participation in VQB5 for early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs in the region. To enroll in practice year 2, email info@unitedwayswva.org and mention "VQB5 enrollment" in the subject line of the email.
The Virginia Department of Education administers VQB5 as established by the Virginia Board of Education. To learn more, visit the VDOE website.
Building Relationships.
We will engage with leaders across the region to facilitate buy-in for shared accountability and benefit.
Ready Region Southwest is committed to partnering with other organizations and stakeholders to implement this work.
Increasing Access.
We have created the Birth to 5 Hub, an online platform to allow families to find and learn about ECCE programs in their communities.
The Birth to 5 Hub is a county-specific database of all publicly funded early childhood
education programs currently participating with United Way of Southwest Virginia.
Through the Birth to 5 Hub, families can learn more about the different types of Early Care and Education experiences in their community and easily find choices for high-quality, early care and education facilities. Families can also enroll in Ready4K services, which provides tips and ideas for interacting with your child based on age and developmental milestones.
To learn more, visit the Birth to 5 Hub.
Engaging Families.
We will establish and strengthen strategies and structures to ensure family engagement.
Families must be engaged in designing an early childhood system that works for them. Ready Region Southwest invited family members from across Southwest Virginia to the May, 2022 meeting of the Childhood Success Coalition to meet and share ideas with providers from across the region. We will continue to promote connections with families and communities to better understand families' needs and to provide ECCE programs to meet those needs.
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