Virginia VQB5, explained.

Virginia VQB5 (Virginia Quality Birth to Five) is Virginia's quality measurement and improvement system, run by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). It reports each site in descriptive levels — from Needs Support up to Exceeds Expectations — based on the quality of teaching and learning, rather than a single star score. It is a measurement layer that sits on top of licensing, not a replacement for it.

If you are comparing daycares in Virginia and you see a VQB5 rating, this guide explains what it measures, who licenses programs, how to confirm it, and how it connects to cost and subsidy. The aim is to help you treat the rating as one input, not the whole decision. VQB5 is run by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), inside the broader structure the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Child Care sets for every state's quality system.

What is Virginia VQB5?

Virginia VQB5 is the state's unified quality measurement and improvement system, run by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), per the State of Virginia and the federal ACF Office of Child Care. Rather than stars, it reports each site in descriptive levels — from Needs Support up to Exceeds Expectations — so families have a common yardstick across publicly funded and licensed programs.

What VQB5 measures is specific. Per the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), it looks at the quality of teacher-child interactions, assessed with the nationally recognized CLASS tool, and at the curriculum a program uses. Like every state's system, it does two jobs at once: it rates programs so families can compare, and it improves them by pairing results with coaching and resources, supported by the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).

Who runs and licenses daycare in Virginia?

In Virginia, one department wears both hats. Licensing is the mandatory floor, and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) both licenses programs and runs the VQB5 quality measurement on top. The table below separates the labels you will run into while you compare programs.

Because VQB5 reports on participating publicly funded and licensed programs, you may see a quality level on some Virginia programs and not others — so confirm the current Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) license status and any compliance history first, then read the VQB5 level as a signal where it exists.

How do I check a Virginia daycare's VQB5 rating or license?

Start with the license: confirm the program's status with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and review any compliance history. Then look at the VQB5 quality rating. Treat any rating as one verified data point alongside your own visit, because a rating reflects a measurement window and can lag what a classroom is actually like.

1. Confirm the license. Check the program's license status and recent compliance history with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).
2. Read the quality level. Ask the program for its current VQB5 rating and what it is doing to maintain or raise it.
3. Tour anyway. A rating cannot tell you whether this teacher, on a Tuesday morning, is warm and attentive. Visit, watch a drop-off, and ask about staff turnover.

How does a Virginia VQB5 rating affect cost and subsidy?

VQB5 does not set tuition, which each program decides on its own. Virginia helps eligible families pay through the Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP) run by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), a structure the ACF Office of Child Care encourages under the federal Child Care and Development Fund. For national context, ChildCare Aware of America's 2024 Price of Child Care report put center-based care at roughly $8,000 to $24,000 per year depending on age and state.

For Virginia-specific figures, see our daycare cost guide and estimate your own with the cost calculator. If you may qualify for help paying, the Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP) through the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is the place to start.

Common questions

Where to go next

For the full picture in your state, see the Virginia daycare guide, which covers licensing, subsidy, and pre-K. Our daycare quality and safety pillar explains accreditation, ratios, and what to look for on a tour.

Comparing how other states rate quality? Read our explainers on the Star Rated License in North Carolina, Maryland EXCELS, and West Virginia's Tiered Reimbursement.