West Virginia
In West Virginia, 1,222 children under the age of three are enrolled in early Head Start programs, and 2,297 3-year olds and 5,936 4-year olds are enrolled in Head Start programs. Overall in the state, 62 percent of 4-year-olds are enrolled in publicly funded preschool programs through the West Virginia Universal Pre-K System. Despite NIEER’s data reflecting a high enrollment in preschool, West Virginia KIDS COUNT released data that only 1,680 of the 68,600 West Virginia children under 6 who need child care are enrolled in nationally accredited child-care programs. The average annual cost of center-based infant care in the state is $7,961.
- Funding increases and additional support: In local areas of West Virginia there have been promising funding increases, such as the $531,000 in federal funding that the Braxton County Board of Education received to improve and support their head start program.