VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — For Monet Outlaw, finding the right child care was about more than finding someone to watch her son.
Her son has level three autism, and Outlaw wanted a place where she felt he would receive the individual attention and support he needs.
“I’m a working parent, single parent and to have somebody you can leave your child with and trust is amazing,” Outlaw said.
She found that at Little Achievers in Virginia Beach, a child care center that serves children with special needs.
“To have something like this, which is more small, more intimate, my son has grown so much being here,” Outlaw said. “She works with him. She’s patient with him.”
The need for early childhood services for children with disabilities extends across Virginia. The Virginia Department of Education says Early Childhood Special Education serves children ages 2 through 5 with identified disabilities or developmental delays. Those children receive individualized education programs developed by educators and their families.
At the same time, Virginia has expanded publicly funded preschool opportunities for some families.
The Virginia Preschool Initiative provides state funding to school divisions and community-based organizations for preschool programs serving at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds who are not served by Head Start.
During the 2024-25 school year, VPI enrolled 24,425 children, an increase of 1,387 from the previous year, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.
Tabitha Darrell, owner of Little Achievers, said the changing early childhood landscape has affected traditional child care providers.
“There’s like this new preschool initiative ... now kids as early as three can go to school so that has drastically changed the scope of childcare,” Darrell said.
VPI isn't available to every 3- and 4-year-old. The state says the program is intended for at-risk children and operates through both public schools and community-based organizations.
Darrell said some child care providers are struggling with enrollment and operating costs.
“A lot of centers are closing down,” Darrell said. “They’re having to close classrooms, having to lay their staff off.”
At Little Achievers, Darrell is responding by expanding the ages the center can serve.
“For us the solution is we’re accepting children as early as six weeks,” Darrell said. “Originally when I got this space we were licensed for children 2 1/2 and up.”
The center also accepts families who receive child care subsidy assistance, according to Darrell.
For Outlaw, maintaining child care options that can accommodate children with special needs is particularly important.
“She is a lifesaver,” Outlaw said.
The pressures facing providers come as Virginia continues putting significant state resources into early childhood programs. A Virginia Department of Education report describes state funding for VPI, Mixed Delivery and the Child Care Subsidy Program as part of Virginia's efforts to respond to family demand for affordable early childhood care and education.
For families like Outlaw's, those broader changes ultimately come down to whether they can find a place that works for their child.
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