Provides additional state support to maximize pre-kindergarten access for at-risk three- and four-year-old children in the Commonwealth by: (i) increasing the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) per pupil amount each year; (ii) providing an add-on payment to incentivize mixed-delivery of services through private providers; (iii) supporting increased VPI class sizes and teacher to student ratios; (iv) providing additional support to serve students on wait lists; (v) creating a VPI pilot program for at-risk three-year-olds; and (vi) increasing support for current mixed-delivery programming and expanding to include at-risk three-year-olds in mixed-delivery settings.
Including the $1.5 million existing appropriation each year for mixed-delivery preschool grants, a total of $37.5 million in fiscal year 2021 and $50.9 million in fiscal year 2022 supports early childhood expansion.