RICHMOND, VA (Rocktown Now) — Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a bipartisan package of legislation this week aimed at lowering childcare costs, expanding support for early childhood education, and helping Virginia businesses attract and retain workers.

The legislation signing took place at the VCU Health Child Development Center Northside alongside parents, business leaders, members of the General Assembly, and Ghazala Hashmi.

Among the measures signed were House Bill 18 and Senate Bill 3, sponsored by Adele McClure and Lashrecse Aird, creating the new Employee Child Care Assistance Program. The initiative will provide matching state funds to employers that help cover childcare expenses for employees, with priority given to small businesses employing fewer than 50 workers.

“Affordable childcare and early childhood education are not niche issues. They are not luxuries,” Spanberger said during the event. “These are challenges impacting families in every region of Virginia.”

The governor said the new program is intended to ease financial pressure on families while also strengthening Virginia’s workforce and economy.

“When a family can’t afford childcare, often times a parent drops out of the workforce altogether,” Spanberger said. “That’s not just a family budget problem, that’s a Virginia economy problem.”

McClure said the legislation was inspired by conversations with constituents struggling to manage rising childcare costs while balancing work and family responsibilities.

“With this bill, we are offering Virginia’s families an additional lifeline,” McClure said. “A way for those who are struggling from paycheck to paycheck to know that their quiet struggles have been seen and that we are taking steps to support them.”

Business leaders also voiced support for the legislation, pointing to the connection between childcare access and workforce participation.

“Access to childcare is critical to maximizing workforce participation and increasing worker productivity,” said Brian Anderson, president and CEO of ChamberRVA. “These are two fundamental ingredients for sustaining and accelerating economic growth.”

In addition to the Employee Child Care Assistance Program, Spanberger signed House Bill 1208 and Senate Bill 134, sponsored by Mamie Locke and Brianna Sewell. The legislation requires Virginia to improve how it calculates and reports the costs of meeting parental childcare and early education needs across the Commonwealth.

The governor also signed House Bill 211, introduced by Debra Gardner, directing the state to prepare a comprehensive report on the status of Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Virginia.