Ready Region Blue Ridge
A young child participating in an early learning activity

Understanding Quality in Early Childhood Education

Research shows that two key indicators — strong teacher–child interactions and high-quality curricula — play a critical role in children's learning, development, and school readiness. VQB5 focuses on these two key indicators of quality, helping educators assess classroom practices, identify opportunities for growth, and continuously improve teaching to support positive outcomes for every child.

What Is VQB5?

VQB5 is Virginia’s statewide quality system that measures and supports improvement in publicly-funded early childhood classrooms.

How Ready Region Blue Ridge Works with VQB5

We will ensure all components are in place to coordinate quality measurement and guide improvement in publicly-funded classrooms as part of VQB5.

To prepare all children for kindergarten and in response to state law, Virginia has developed the Unified Virginia Quality Birth-to-Five System (VQB5) to measure and help improve the quality of all publicly-funded birth-to-five classrooms and support families to choose quality programming across program types.

All publicly-funded birth-to-five early childhood programs are required to participate in VQB5 on an annual basis. Programs that do not receive public funding have the option to participate. Details available on the VQB5 Participation Requirements webpage.

VQB5 Quality Profiles

VQB5 Quality Profiles (with information about early childhood program performance on quality measures and other topics of interest to families, policy makers, and the public) is available at EarlyChildhoodQuality.doe.virginia.gov.

Enroll in VQB5

Ready Regions coordinate and support participation in VQB5 for early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs in the region.

To enroll in VQB5 please contact the VQB5 Coordinator for your area:

Learn More About VDOE

The Virginia Department of Education administers VQB5 as established by the Virginia Board of Education. To learn more, visit the VDOE Quality Measurement and Improvement (VQB5) website or e-mail vqb5@doe.virginia.edu.

VQB5 Important Dates to Remember

August 15 – October 1 | Registration & Setup
  • Registration and profile information for all eligible sites and classrooms must be completed in LinkB5.
  • Primary Site Administrators enter curriculum in LinkB5 for applicable classrooms.
August 15 – December 22 | Fall Observation Window
  • One Fall local CLASS observation must be completed in all eligible classrooms.
  • Primary Site Administrators must verify CLASS scores in LinkB5.
  • Educator profiles must be completed in LinkB5.
  • Primary Site Administrators must inform all parents/legal guardians about VQB5 and student/child lists.
  • Student/child lists must be added to LinkB5.
January 20 – May 31 | Spring Observation Window
  • One Spring local CLASS observation must be completed in all eligible classrooms.
  • Primary Site Administrators must verify CLASS scores in LinkB5.
  • Primary Site Administrators must update student/child lists if there have been any changes in enrollment or classroom assignments.
  • Primary Site Administrators update curriculum information as needed.
April 1- May 31 | Year-End Verification
  • Primary Site Administrators must verify educator information in LinkB5.
August 15 – May 31 | External Observations
  • External CLASS observations for eligible classrooms conducted by the VA External Observations team.
Mid-July | Data Verification Window
  • Primary Site Administrators are encouraged to complete Data Verification in LinkB5 during the annual verification window.

Military Child Care Programs Participating VQB5

Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) programs may be required or eligible to participate in VQB5 based on their funding and accreditation status.

If your program is seeking MCCYN approval and needs a VQB5 Letter of Participation, contact Brianna Sarceno at bsarceno@unitedwaycville.org, who will connect you with the appropriate Ready Region contact for your locality, answer questions, and support you with VQB5 participation activities.

Teacher-Child Interactions

This indicator evaluates the quality of teacher-child interactions in a developmentally appropriate way, using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS).

Learn More About Measuring Quality Interactions
A child participating in a classroom learning activity
11,098Virginia classrooms received CLASS observations during the 2025–2026 school year.
1,600+CLASS observations conducted in Ready Region Blue Ridge during the 2025–2026 school year

What Is CLASS?

  • CLASS is an observation tool that helps measure the interactions that support children’s learning and development.
  • The CLASS tool is developed specifically to evaluate the classroom characteristics and teacher-child interactions needed to promote child learning and development within each specific age range.
  • CLASS observation results are used as part of the VQB5 quality profile to support improvement at the classroom, program, and system levels.
  • By centering on interactions at the heart of continuous improvement, educators can help ensure every child has an opportunity to grow socially, emotionally, and academically according to their developmental needs.

How CLASS Observations Work

Each year, the VQB5 system supports large-scale observation efforts, with over 30,000 CLASS observations taking place in more than 10,000 classrooms. These classrooms span a range of settings, including private child care centers, home-based child care and public schools. Ready Region Blue Ridge contributes significantly to this work, with local CLASS observers conducting about 1,600 observations annually.

Training

CLASS observers must complete training for each age-specific CLASS tool and pass the corresponding certification test before conducting observations using that tool.

Observe

Trained observers gather detailed information on teacher-child interactions in each classroom.

Provide Feedback

Individualized, actionable feedback is shared with educators to highlight both strengths and opportunities for growth.

Drive Improvement

Feedback supports educators in strengthening instructional practices and enhancing child engagement for ongoing improvement in early childhood education quality.

Get Involved with CLASS

Interested in Becoming a CLASS Observer?

Help support quality early learning in our community by completing the Contracted CLASS Observer Interest Form.

Fill Out Interest Form

Want Professional Development for Your Site?

Request professional development about CLASS for your site.

Get CLASS PD

Get CLASS Resources

Provider Resources

Get tools and materials to help educators understand CLASS and use feedback to strengthen their instructional practices.

Explore Provider Resources

High-Quality Curricula

This indicator assesses the use of a comprehensive curriculum aligned with Virginia’s Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS), ensuring that all areas of learning and development are addressed in developmentally appropriate ways.

Learn More About Virginia’s Early Learning & Development Standards
An educator working with children in an early learning classroom

What Qualifies As High-Quality Curricula?

  • Curriculum must align with Virginia's Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS).
  • Curriculum must provide a developmentally appropriate sequence of learning experiences and activities.
  • Curriculum must meet the needs of all children, including children with disabilities and diverse learning needs.
  • Curriculum must be grounded in research and evidence-based practices.
  • Curriculum must support all areas of child development, language, literacy, mathematics, social-emotional development, physical development, and cognitive growth.

Virginia early childhood programs can choose from more than 70 curricula approved by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), allowing programs to select an option that best fits their setting while meeting state quality standards.

Additional Support for Infant & Toddler Programs (ITSN)

Ready Region Blue Ridge serves as the Blue Ridge Regional office with the Virginia Infant & Toddler Specialist Network (VA ITSN) to provide additional support to programs serving infants and toddlers. Through this program, eligible sites can access specialized coaching, training, and resources designed to strengthen teaching practices, support educators, and improve the quality of interactions for our youngest children.

Learn More About VA ITSN
An educator supporting a young child in an early learning setting
9ITSN regional offices across Virginia providing professional development services.
0-36Ages in months ITSN focuses exclusively on supporting healthy development.
29+Highly qualified Infant & Toddler specialists and consultants providing services throughout Virginia.

What Is ITSN?

  • ITSN provides individualized support to infant and toddler classrooms with the greatest needs, helping educators strengthen the quality of their daily interactions with young children.
  • ITSN Increases infant and toddler educators’ competencies through targeted training and technical assistance that supports high-quality interactions, early learning, and development.
  • ITSN provides child-level consultation to educators and families to strengthen teacher-child interactions and promote healthy social and emotional development for infants and toddlers.

The Virginia Infant & Toddler Specialist Network is supported by the Administration for Children & Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $5,550,000 with 100% funded by ACF/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by the Virginia Department of Education, ACF/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Types of ITSN Specialists & Consultants

Infant & Toddler Specialists (ITS) provide individualized coaching, training, and technical assistance to infant and toddler teachers and directors to strengthen teacher-child interactions, curriculum implementation, and overall quality of care in VQB5 classrooms.

Infant & Toddler Behavior Consultants (ITBC) provide consultation, coaching, and support to teachers, directors, and families to promote infants’ and toddlers’ healthy social-emotional development and address individual child needs through observation, assessment, and targeted strategies.

Request ITSN Coaching Services

Be connected with the Early Childhood Quality and Coaching Manager to get coaching options for your site.

Get Coaching Services