Challenges
Access, Scalability
Location
Virginia
Stakeholders
Businesses, Nonprofits
Beneficiaries
Parents, Children
Overview
Virginia Tech, a large public university, tackled its childcare challenge by partnering with existing childcare centers and services, rather than building its center from scratch.
Key Impact Metrics
-
707
Virginia Tech employees have enrolled in the backup care program
-
20-65%
childcare slots reserved at five childcare centers for Virginia Tech families
-
$75K
average fees given to the childcare centers
Problem
Located in rural Virginia in the New River Valley, Virginia Tech is a university with multiple campuses that support 38,000 students and 13,000 full- and part-time staff. Virginia Tech’s 2020 strategic plan outlined the university’s goal to “be a destination for talent.” As the university’s population size increased, the need for childcare grew as a top priority. In a survey conducted by the university, 76% of employee and student respondents said they needed or used some form of childcare, and 47% reported that their current childcare arrangements did not meet their needs in terms of reliability, flexibility, or availability.
Solution
Virginia Tech formed an Early Childhood Education Initiatives (ECEI) task force to improve caregiving resources. They implemented a multipronged solution: 1) Center Partnerships: through contracting with five local childcare centers; 2) Backup Care: by offering employees unlimited premium access to a national backup care network; 3) Workforce Pipeline: through collaborating with local high schools, a community college, and the literacy council to host annual early educator career days and professional development, building a pipeline of qualified childcare workers in the region; 4) Caregiving Hub Website: to serve as one-stop portal for VT families to find childcare info, sign up for programs, join parent support groups.
Results
- Beneficiary Impact247 children enrolled at childcare centers
- Employee Impact707 employees enrolled with a backup care partner
- Financial Results$375,000 in total fees collected by five childcare centers
Replication Tips
- Leverage existing capacity: Rather than building new, partner with local childcare centers and allocate a percentage of slots for your organization.
- Use Request for Proposals carefully: When contracting centers simplify the procurement process. Virginia Tech found many small providers were unfamiliar with formal RFPs, so they hosted Q&A sessions and provided guidance to help centers apply.
- Mix and match solutions: Address multiple needs – Virginia Tech combined reserved slots, backup care/au pairs for flexibility.
Suggested Implementation Timeline
~18-24 months
