2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26103783D

HOUSE BILL NO. 211

Offered January 14, 2026

Prefiled January 7, 2026

A BILL to require the Head Start State Collaboration Office at the Department of Education to develop and recommend to the General Assembly a plan for universal access to Head Start programs for eligible families.

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Patrons—Gardner, Anthony, McClure, Anderson, Carnegie, Carroll, Clark, Cole, J.G., Cole, N.T., Guzman, Henson, Keys-Gamarra, LeVere Bolling, Martinez, Rasoul, Schmidt, Simonds and Willett

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Referred to Committee on Education

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. It is the goal of the Commonwealth to offer evidence-based Head Start and Early Head Start programs to each family in the Commonwealth that is eligible to enroll a child in such a program. In furtherance of such goal, the Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSCO) at the Department of Education shall, no later November 1, 2026, develop and recommend to the General Assembly for formal endorsement and the provision of any required state funding a comprehensive plan, timeline, and set of incentives for achieving, no later than the start of the 2032–2033 school year, universal access to full time Head Start and Early Head Start programs for each family in the Commonwealth that is eligible to enroll a child in such a program. Such plan shall establish goals and methods for achieving 60 percent access by the 2030–2031 school year, 80 percent access by the 2031–2032 school year, and 100 percent access by the 2032–2033 school year. Such plan shall address, among such other considerations as HSCO deems appropriate, effective methods for expanding the capacity of existing programs; identifying, applying for, and successfully being awarded grants from federal and private sources; attracting and retaining skilled early childhood educators and administrators; and implementing pay-for-success or social impact bond models of outcomes-based program funding. In developing such plan, HSCO may collaborate with such stakeholders as it deems appropriate and consider models that have successfully been implemented in other states.