Ready Region Blue Ridge
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Strengthening quality.
Building relationships.
Increasing access.
Engaging families.

Preparing Every Child and Family for Success

United Way of Greater Charlottesville is proud to have been selected as the lead organization for Ready Region Blue Ridge. As a Ready Regions lead organization, we are part of a statewide network bringing strategic leadership and coordination of early childhood care and education (ECCE) services and resources to prepare all children and families for success. Ready Regions focus 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.

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Building relationships.

We will engage with leaders across the region to facilitate buy-in for shared accountability and benefit.

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Increasing access.

We will administer Mixed Delivery programming in the region, lead our VBREE delegation and regional activities to build child care supply, and coordinate enrollment to help parents learn about and access ECCE services that meet their needs and preferences, while helping ECCE providers connect with and serve more families.

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Engaging families.

We will support a Family Council, made up of families from across our region to ensure the early childhood system is designed to work for families.

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Building the Foundation for Learning

A child’s earliest years lay the foundation for lifelong learning, health, and well-being. This short video highlights how everyday interactions—talking, reading, playing, listening, and responding with care—help build strong brains and bright futures. Discover how simple moments today can make a lasting difference tomorrow.

About Our Region

Ready Region Blue Ridge serves a region that is home to approximately 45,000 children under age five, many of whom face barriers to accessing high-quality early childhood care and education. Our region’s teachers and publicly-funded sites work with Ready Region Blue Ridge, its partners, the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, and the Virginia Department of Education to undertake the Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five System. Learn More

45.2%Of students in Ready Region Blue Ridge arrive at kindergarten without key skills*
10,882Childcare slots needed to bridge the gap between available publicly-funded slots and need based on eligible families.**
26,753Total child care slots needed to bridge the gap between demand and licensed capacity of all families across RRBR.***
44,836Children under the age of five residing in RRBR, with 17,221 in single-parent households. ****

*Based on Fall 2025 Kindergarten VKRP Overall Readiness. Students are considered “below benchmark” if they score below the benchmark in one or more of four domains: literacy, math, social skills, and self-regulation.

**Based on RRBR supply/demand estimates 2026

***Overall ECCE Absolute Shortage, Virginia Neighborhood ECCE Supply & Demand Mapping Initiative 2026

****U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates, 2024; U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024

Regional Data

Each locality in Ready Region Blue Ridge’s service area has unique challenges and opportunities. To find out more about the data in each locality, please click on the name below or the location on the map.

*Based on Fall 2025 Kindergarten VKRP Overall Readiness. Students are considered “below benchmark” if they score below the benchmark in one or more of four domains: literacy, math, social skills, and self-regulation.

**Based on RRBR supply/demand estimates 2026

***Overall ECCE Absolute Shortage, Virginia Neighborhood ECCE Supply & Demand Mapping Initiative 2026

****U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates, 2024; U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024

Explore more data

Choose a highlighted area to view its locality reports.

Interactive map of the Ready Region Blue Ridge service area Albemarle Augusta Buckingham Charlottesville Clarke Fluvanna Frederick Greene Harrisonburg Louisa Madison Nelson Orange Page Rappahannock Rockingham Shenandoah Staunton Warren Waynesboro Winchester

View the locality profile

*Percentage of parents in the workforce is an indicator of need for childcare. This is the data that can help a community compare demand vs supply, particularly of publicly available subsidized childcare slots.

Find Resources, Support, and Opportunities

Whether you're a parent or caregiver, early childhood provider, community partner, or local leader, Ready Region Blue Ridge connects you with the resources, programs, and partnerships that support young children, families, and the early childhood workforce.

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Support Children. Strengthen Communities.

Supporting Ready Region Blue Ridge means investing in the success of young children, families, and early childhood professionals across our region. Whether you become a community partner, join a leadership group, advocate for early childhood, or support our work, you can help expand access to high-quality early learning and create lasting impact.

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