Child care plan discussed at Accomack Supervisors meeting

According to Accomack County Administrator Mike Mason, progress is being made to expand child care options in the northern part of the county, but challenges still remain.  Mason addressed the Board of Supervisors Wednesday night on a major development in child care plans for Northern Accomack County.

The development comes from NASA Wallops Flight Facility, which recently announced plans to relocate its child care center to a larger site. The new facility is expected to accommodate up to three times its current capacity and will now be open not only to NASA employees, but also to partner organizations such as Rocket Lab, Northrop Grumman, and the Virginia Space Authority.

Mason said the expansion is a significant step forward, helping address long-standing concerns from both residents and local industry about limited child care availability in Northern Accomack.

However, gaps persist, especially in infant care and services during nontraditional working hours.

In response, the county is shifting its strategy. Rather than focusing solely on larger child care centers, officials are now looking to support smaller, home-based providers known as “family day homes,” which can care for up to 12 children and may offer more flexible options for working families.

To guide this effort, the county is working with Minus 9 to 5, a child care initiative based at Old Dominion University. The group has previously helped expand home-based child care in the City of Suffolk.

County staff say they are exploring a similar partnership and will present a formal proposal to the Board once plans are finalized.