Early Childhood Advisory Committee endorses 2025–26 quality-rating guideline updates, approves VA Connects migration and curriculum timeline

RICHMOND, Va. — The Early Childhood Advisory Committee on April 17 endorsed proposed updates to the state's early childhood quality-rating guidelines and recommended they be forwarded to the Board of Education for review.

Committee members emphasized the updates were incremental and data-driven rather than a wholesale redesign. Jenna (Staff member), who led the presentation, said, "this is really a set of shifts or kind of a gradual data driven, evolution rather than a dramatic change." The committee voted to endorse the guidelines by voice vote.

The guidelines package presented several principal changes and clarifications: migration of the LINK VQB5 systems into an integrated platform called VA Connects; enhancements to the public quality-profile website including an honor roll and historical ratings; and a planned change in how the 100 curriculum points are awarded. Chris Myers, director of the VQB5 program (Virginia Department of Education), summarized the rating results that informed the proposed shifts: "98% of sites met or exceeded the state's quality expectations," he said, and noted an average score of 588 points across participating sites.

Why it matters: The rating system covers more than 3,200 sites and over 11,000 classrooms statewide and is designed to measure teacher-child interactions and encourage intentional use of approved early childhood curriculum. The committee framed the package…