I strongly support the proposed regulation changes as a step towards more consistent, higher quality child care services for Virginia's children. As director of a program which currently operates ten licensed preschool classrooms, I see these changes as an enhancement, not a threat. The research clearly and consistently indicates that smaller group size, higher levels of teacher/caregiver training, and better staff:child ratios are associated with higher quality and better outcomes for children. Virginia's children and their parents deserve no less. At the same time that the regulations "raise the bar" in these key areas, they also allow centers greater flexibility in some others, for example in staffing at the beginning and end of the program day. These are common-sense trade-offs.