News & Updates for Parents
The Office of Parental Engagement is committed to providing families across the Commonwealth with information about educational opportunities, the latest resources, and updates from the VDOE.
New Resources for Families of Students with Disabilities
The VDOE has released three new resources created by the Family Engagement Network (FEN), through a grant provided by the Virginia Department of Education and managed by the Center for Family Involvement at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Transition Across the Grade Span: From Pre-K to Post-Grad is a resource that helps families plan for their child's future, from early childhood through adulthood, by addressing skills in four key areas of transition planning.
The Keys to Academic Success: Critical Decision Points in Early Childhood Companion assists families with helping their young child with a disability or developmental delay receive the best possible preschool education.
Promoting Mental Wellness for Students with Disabilities in Cell Phone-Free Schools: Guidance and Resources offers resources for families available through the Virginia Department of Education to support cell phone-free schools by providing guidance for addressing the unique needs of students with disabilities, including considerations for assistive technology and exemptions.
Special Education Parent Involvement Survey 2025-2026 School Year
All parents of school-aged children and youth with disabilities who receive special education services in Virginia are requested to complete the VDOE annual Special Education Parent Involvement Survey.
This survey will remain open through December 11, 2026. Please complete one survey for each of your children currently receiving special education services during the 2025-26 school year.
If you have any questions regarding this survey, please contact Dr. Chiquita Seaborne, Family Engagement Specialist/Special Projects Coordinator, via email at Chiquita.Seaborne@doe.virginia.gov, or via telephone at (804) 418-4672.
AP/IB/Cambridge Exam Fee Reduction Program
Is your child planning to take an Advanced Placement, International
Baccalaureate, or Cambridge course this year? You may be eligible for a reduced fee.
Please see this flyer for more information.
School Performance & Support Framework Resource Hub
Virginia Launches Online VQB5 Portal to Help Families Learn about Early Childhood Options
Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5) is a nation-leading statewide quality measurement and improvement system providing information about child care, family child care, Head Start, and preschool. VQB5, created by state law in 2020, includes all public and private programs that use public funds to serve children from birth to age five.
The VQB5 portal includes information on all publicly-funded sites and any non-publicly-funded sites who opt-in. It enables families to:
- Easily find out whether a site has chosen a quality curriculum and access links to health and safety inspections.
- View sites’ quality rating and performance information.
- Review up-to-date data and information. The VQB5 portal will be updated annually and shared publicly each fall.
- Easily search for a site or program by program name, address, city, or zip code.
Check out this page to learn more.
All In Lexia Parent and Family Sessions
Lexia® has partnered with families and the Virginia Department of Education to help fulfill the state’s ALL In Tutoring priority! Lexia has announces they are now offering information sessions specifically designed for Virginia families. In these sessions, you can expect to learn how Lexia will accelerate your child’s literacy growth and how you can be ALL in with at-home strategies to support your learner!
Register for an upcoming session by creating an account. View the calendar for all upcoming sessions.
For more Lexia Family resources, please visit the Lexia Help Center.
School Safety Resources
Executive Directive 6: Student Safety Resources Considerations for Schools and Families: VDOE published safety resources designed to promote the safety of Virginia’s religious and ethnic communities and help combat incidents of antisemitism, anti-religious bigotry, and ethnic-based violence.
Level Up Virginia: Postsecondary Readiness
Level Up Virginia is a statewide initiative led by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the VDOE to increase postsecondary readiness, enrollment, and completion for all students in the Commonwealth. The Level Up Virginia website provides information on various educational options, including certificate programs, apprenticeships, the military, trade schools, two-year and four-year colleges, and universities. It also offers guidance on how to prepare, apply, finance, and decide on postsecondary pathways. The website now features Spanish and Arabic translations to assist students and families.
Special Populations
Parents and families of students with disabilities receiving services through an individualized education program may not be aware of available services and eligibility of students for various waiver programs in Virginia designed to provide resources to support students and their families.
The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services administers the three available developmental disabilities waivers jointly with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. There is a waiting list for these waivers, and the slots are assigned based on urgency of need. Additional information regarding waivers is available on the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services website.
Families can apply for a waiver by contacting their local Community Services Board (CSB) or by visiting the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards website to locate the CSB in their community.