The greater Fredericksburg area has received about $1.8 million in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Education to provide early childhood care and education to children aged 0-5.

That’s about $300,000 more than the region received last year, according to information provided by Sara Hunt for the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, and the total amount will fund 95 slots in community daycare centers and preschools.

The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation announced the grants, which are for the Mixed Delivery program, on Wednesday.

Mixed Delivery is a public/private program, administered by the VECF, that allows families to access high quality, year-round, full-day care for their children in private, licensed facilities. It allocates public funding, through the VDOE, to private, community-based providers.

In VECF’s Ready Region North Central—which includes the Fredericksburg area, and is one of nine statewide Ready Regions established by the General Assembly to strengthen early childhood systems—Mixed Delivery programs are available in Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Prince William counties.

Ready Region North Central, for which Foundation First is the lead agency, also includes the cities of cities of Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park, and the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, King George, Loudoun.

VECF awarded, through a competitive application process, a total of $37 million to the nine Ready Regions this week. The amount will support access to care for 2,687 children.

“Investments in early education that empower parents to choose the best learning environments for their children help families thrive and are key to Virginia’s prosperity,” said Gary Thomson, chair of the VECF board and managing partner of Thomson Consulting. “With a focus on innovation and public-private partnerships, the Mixed Delivery program continues to be an important part of Virginia’s early childhood care and education system.”