EO to deliver $18m Virginia childcare expansion across three communities
The projects will add licensed capacity for nearly 450 children and are expected to create more than 55 jobs, backed by a $7.2 million federal disaster-recovery grant and local investment
EO Companies will implement three childcare projects across Southwest and Southside Virginia with capacity for nearly 450 children
EO Companies is set to implement three childcare infrastructure projects across Southwest and Southside Virginia representing approximately $18 million in investment, including two new centers and an expanded after-school and summer provision.
The program is backed by a $7.2 million disaster-recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, secured through the American Relief Act following Hurricane Helene. The remainder of the investment is being generated through local partnerships.
Together, the projects are expected to create more than 55 jobs while providing licensed childcare capacity for nearly 450 children across Danville and Pittsylvania County, Tazewell County and Washington County.
EO is the Virginia Department of Education’s designated regional early childhood partner for Ready Region Southwest. Its role spans early childhood education alongside workforce and economic development, an overlap that is central to the new investment.
“Access to affordable, high-quality childcare remains one of the most pressing workforce and economic development challenges facing communities across Virginia,” says Travis Staton, President and CEO of EO Companies.
The funding, he adds, will extend both early childhood education and out-of-school programming while supporting working families and local workforce needs.
Two new childcare centers planned
The largest of the three projects will serve the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County, where a new approximately 20,000-square-foot childcare center is planned.
A $2.7 million grant will contribute to an estimated $8.3 million overall investment in the facility. It is expected to create around 30 jobs and provide licensed capacity for approximately 200 children.
Tazewell County will receive a separate $2.5 million grant for an approximately 10,000-square-foot childcare center. The project represents a total investment of about $5.8 million, with plans for 148 childcare places and an estimated 25 new jobs.
EO, the Virginia Department of Education, Tazewell County and the Thompson Charitable Foundation are among the partners and investors in that project.
The third scheme will expand EO’s Regional Workforce and Child Development Hub in Washington County. A $615,000 allocation will add outdoor recreational space and classroom facilities for a new after-school and summer enrichment program.
That provision will serve children aged five to 12 and have licensed capacity for approximately 100 students.
Funding also targets the childcare workforce
A further $1.2 million has been allocated across the three projects for coordination and workforce development, including recruiting, training and preparing staff for the new and expanded facilities.
Virginia Secretary of Education Jeffery Smith describes strong childcare systems as “essential to educational success, workforce participation, and economic prosperity,” linking the expansion directly to both provision for children and parents’ ability to work.
The workforce argument also runs through the individual developments. The two new centers are expected to create more than 55 jobs between them, while the Washington County expansion is designed to provide out-of-school care alongside workforce support for local families.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger says the investment is targeting communities facing both workforce growth and childcare shortages, including areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene.
The $18 million package combines the $7.2 million federal grant with additional investment from local partners, with EO responsible for implementing the projects across the three Virginia communities.
