The City invites Alexandria families to participate in an online survey to assess child care needs and preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The survey is open through Sunday, August 30.

The Emergency Child Care Collaborative and Smart Beginnings Alexandria are working with regional partners on the Child Care Task Force to support families and providers facing child care challenges resulting from the pandemic. 

The results will help the task force and local partners better understand the needs and preferences of Alexandria families as they work with child care providers to develop and provide child care offerings. 

The Alexandria Emergency Child Care Collaborative, which was formed to support essential workers in need of child care who have exhausted all other non-group care options, now supports all families in need of care and works to match them with open providers. Families in need can complete a registration form assessing their needs, and the Collaborative will notify them of potential care providers and provide directions on how best to reach the provider to arrange enrollment. Child care providers available to offer emergency child care or that have the capacity in their existing programs to meet the needs of essential workers are encouraged to register as well.

Smart Beginnings Alexandria, a local chapter of the Virginia-wide Smart Beginnings network, is a partnership of organizations and individuals in Alexandria, including DCHS, that work together to foster comprehensive support, care and education for Alexandria’s youngest children. Families seeking child care can learn about local providers as well as find local resources and opportunities for activities, healthcare and child development at sbalexandria.org.