Ready Region Blue Ridge

As the lead organization managing Ready Region Blue Ridge, our team at United Way of Greater Charlottesville is responsible for helping public school systems, private centers, and family day homes qualify for funding and additional support through Virginia’s Quality Birth-to-Five program.

The preschool scholarships that both of my sons have received through United Way are a lifesaver. They have allowed my children to be in a safe environment where I know they are being looked after.
Brittany Hughes, Mixed Delivery Program Participant

About Ready Region Blue Ridge

United Way of Greater Charlottesville is proud to have been selected as the lead organization for Ready Region Blue Ridge as part of a statewide strategy to deliver more equitable early childhood care and education opportunities in 21 cities and counties.

Our Goals

Strengthening Quality: We will ensure all components are in place to coordinate quality measurement and guide improvement in publicly funded classrooms as a part of VBQ5.
Building Relationships: We will engage with leaders across the region to facilitate buy-in for shared accountability and benefit. ‌
Increasing Access: We will build and strengthen better processes to help parents learn about and access ECCE programs in their community, while helping ECCE providers connect with families. ‌
Engaging Families: We will establish and strengthen strategies and structures to ensure family engagement.

Set Up for Future Success

As part of our Ready Region Blue Ridge responsibilities, United Way of Greater Charlottesville staff assessed the performance of 11,631 children across key math, self-regulation, and social skills. From our observations, we saw significant improvements over the course of the school year for students who were in the “beginning” range in Fall 2023:

98% improved in math
91% improved in self-regulation
84% improved in social skills

Learn more about Ready Region Blue Ridge

Learn More About Ready Region Blue Ridge

The Impact

2,026

Classroom Assessments

Performed at private and nonprofit childcare centers, public school systems, and family day homes across the Greater Charlottesville area and Shenandoah Valley.

514

Year-Round Placements

For children ages 0-5 to receive high-quality early care and education through Virginia Early Childhood Foundation’s Mixed Delivery program.

40%

More Classroom Assessments

Were conducted YOY by Ready Region Blue Ridge across Greater Charlottesville and Shenandoah Valley from FY2023 to FY2024.

*Based on the United Way of Greater Charlottesville 2023-2024 Annual Report