Does West Virginia Have a Childcare Quality Rating System? What Directors Need to Know
West Virginia does not run a star-rated QRIS.
Its quality system is the WV Tiered Reimbursement System (Tiers I-III); the policy pays higher subsidy rates to Tiers II and III.
Entry needs a regular 2-year license and at least one year of operation for centers and facilities (homes: one year of regular registration), plus a provider service agreement with the local CCR&R.
Tier III's NAEYC route requires the highest NAEYC level, Accreditation+; Tier II renews yearly with ERS self-assessments, and moving up a tier brings a one-time bonus.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
No star-rated QRIS — the quality system is the WV Tiered Reimbursement System, Tiers I through III.
The West Virginia Department of Human Services — its Division of Early Care and Education handles child care licensing.
Programs apply for Tier II or III: centers and facilities need a regular 2-year license and at least one year of operation, homes need one year of regular registration, and every applicant needs a provider service agreement with the local CCR&R; initial or provisional licensees are not eligible.
Three tiers — Tier I, Tier II and Tier III — instead of star levels; Tiers II and III are the ones the policy pays higher subsidy rates to.
Environment Rating Scales (ERS): Tier II renewal runs on annual ERS self-assessments for each age group, and WV Early Childhood Quality Evaluators do on-site ERS assessments.
Not established in our research for the tier system; separately, WV STARS offers scholarship and wage incentive programs for child care providers.
West Virginia rating levels
- Tier IRating level
The first tier in the WV Tiered Reimbursement System; the policy's higher subsidy rates attach to Tier II and Tier III, and our research did not confirm separate Tier I criteria.
- Tier IIRating level
Earns a higher subsidy rate; for centers and facilities it requires a regular 2-year license and at least one year of operation, for a family child care home one year of regular registration, plus a provider service agreement with the local CCR&R — and status renews every year.
- Tier IIIRating level
Earns a higher subsidy rate; through NAEYC, eligibility requires Accreditation+ — the highest NAEYC level — while the NAEYC Recognized and NAEYC Accredited levels do not qualify.
What is West Virginia's QRIS called and is participation required?
West Virginia does not run a star-rated QRIS.
The state's quality system is the WV Tiered Reimbursement System, a three-tier structure — Tier I, Tier II and Tier III — set out in a policy the state updated in May 2025.
The policy pays higher subsidy rates to Tier II and Tier III programs.
Tier II and III are applied for: a center or family child care facility needs a regular 2-year license and at least one year of operation, a family child care home needs one year of regular registration, and every applicant needs a provider service agreement with the local CCR&R.
Programs with an initial or provisional license are not eligible.
“Programs with an initial or provisional license will not be eligible for tiered reimbursement.”
What are the rating levels in the West Virginia Tiered Reimbursement System?
The system runs on three tiers rather than star levels.
The confirmed details attach to Tier II and Tier III: they are the tiers the policy pays higher subsidy rates to, and both share the same entry gates — a regular 2-year license, at least one year of operation for centers and facilities or one year of regular registration for a family child care home, and a provider service agreement with the local CCR&R.
The Tier III route through NAEYC carries one confirmed bar: a program must apply for the highest level of NAEYC accreditation, Accreditation+; the NAEYC Recognized and NAEYC Accredited levels do not qualify.
Tier II status renews every year, and renewal carries Environment Rating Scale self-assessments for each age group.
“must apply for the highest level of accreditation called Accreditation+ in order to be eligible for Tier III designation”
What staff credentials and training count toward a higher tier?
Our research did not confirm the specific staff-qualification standards for West Virginia Tier II, so this page cannot list which credentials or training hours move a program up a tier.
The tier criteria our research did confirm are program-level rather than staff-level: license standing (a regular 2-year license and at least a year of operation for centers and facilities; one year of regular registration for a family child care home), the provider service agreement with the local CCR&R, Accreditation+ accreditation for the NAEYC route into Tier III, and annual Environment Rating Scale self-assessments covering each age group.
Those sit separately from West Virginia's licensing qualifications for teachers and directors, which this page does not restate; any credential question about the tiers should go to the Division of Early Care and Education.
Which observation tool does West Virginia use?
Environment Rating Scales (ERS) are the confirmed instruments, and they show up in two places.
For Tier II, Environment Rating Scale self-assessments for each age group are completed on an annual basis as part of yearly renewal.
On the assessment side, WV Early Childhood Quality Evaluators do on-site assessments of centers, facilities and family child care providers using ERS — the same scale family a director self-assesses with is the one an evaluator brings.
“Environment Rating Scale self- assessments for each age group must be completed on an annual basis.”
What incentives come with higher tiers — for the center and for staff?
For centers, the confirmed incentives are financial: Tier II and Tier III programs are the ones the policy pays higher subsidy rates to, and a program that moves up a tier earns a one-time bonus whose amount depends on available funding.
The dollar amounts of the tier rates were not verified in our research, so this page states no figures.
For staff, our research did not confirm incentives tied to tier status.
Separately from the tier system, WV STARS — the state's training and registry system — offers scholarship and wage incentive programs for child care providers, though our research did not confirm the programs' names or amounts, or any tie to the tiers.
How directors prepare for West Virginia's tiered reimbursement
The confirmed gates are things a director can check from the program's own paperwork.
Tier II or III requires a regular 2-year license and at least one year of operation for centers and family child care facilities; a family child care home needs one year of regular registration.
Programs with an initial or provisional license are not eligible, and every applicant needs a provider service agreement with the local CCR&R.
If Tier III is the target through NAEYC, the bar is Accreditation+, the highest NAEYC level; the Recognized and Accredited levels do not qualify.
Once a program holds Tier II, renewal is annual and ERS self-assessments for each age group are due every year, which makes the self-assessment calendar recurring work.
WV Early Childhood Quality Evaluators' on-site ERS assessments cover centers, facilities and family child care providers.
Where staff credentials live: the WV STARS registry
WV STARS — the West Virginia State Training and Registry System — places early childhood professionals on Career Pathway levels by education and experience and credentials trainers.
It also offers scholarship and wage incentive programs for child care providers; our research did not confirm the terms of those programs.
WV Early Childhood Training Connections and Resources (WVECTCR), based in Huntington, runs WV STARS, funded mainly with federal money passed through the West Virginia Department of Human Services.
Our research did not establish that STARS Career Pathway levels count toward the tier criteria, so the registry and the tier system are separate tracks in our research.
What changed recently in West Virginia's tier system
The tiered reimbursement policy was updated in May 2025.
Two items stayed open in our research: the Tier II standards document and the current dollar amounts of the tier rates.
Confirm both with the West Virginia Department of Human Services before relying on any figure.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the West Virginia licensing rules, agency pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state quality rating system (QRIS) series, current as of October 2026. It is not a substitute for the instructions the West Virginia Department of Human Services, Division of Early Care and Education publishes. For the rest of the picture in West Virginia, see daycare director requirements in West Virginia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does West Virginia have a star rating for child care programs?
No. Our research found that West Virginia does not run a star-rated QRIS.
The state's quality system is the WV Tiered Reimbursement System, a three-tier structure — Tier I, II and III — that pays higher subsidy rates to Tier II and Tier III programs.
The policy behind it was updated in May 2025.
What does a program need to qualify for Tier II or Tier III in West Virginia?
A regular 2-year license and at least one year of operation, for centers and family child care facilities.
A family child care home needs one year of regular registration.
Every applicant also needs a provider service agreement with the local CCR&R, and programs with an initial or provisional license are not eligible for tiered reimbursement.
What NAEYC accreditation level qualifies a West Virginia program for Tier III?
The highest one.
A program pursuing Tier III through NAEYC must apply for the highest level of accreditation, called Accreditation+, in order to be eligible for the Tier III designation.
The NAEYC Recognized and NAEYC Accredited levels do not qualify for Tier III under the state's tiered reimbursement policy.
Does a West Virginia program get money for moving up a tier?
Yes — a one-time bonus.
Programs that move up a tier get a one-time bonus whose amount depends on available funding, and Tier II and Tier III programs are the ones the policy pays higher subsidy rates to.
Our research did not verify the dollar amounts of the tier rates or the bonus, so confirm current figures with the West Virginia Department of Human Services.
Which observation tool do West Virginia's quality evaluators use?
Environment Rating Scales (ERS).
WV Early Childhood Quality Evaluators do on-site assessments of centers, facilities and family child care providers using ERS.
Tier II programs also complete Environment Rating Scale self-assessments for each age group on an annual basis as part of renewal, so the self-assessment a director schedules and the visit an evaluator makes draw on the same scale family.
More West Virginia Resources
Sources
- WV Tiered Reimbursement Policy and Procedures (West Virginia Department of Human Services) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- West Virginia Early Childhood — WV Early Childhood Quality Evaluators (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- WV STARS — West Virginia State Training and Registry System (About) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
Sourced from the documents listed above. Verified October 2026. This is career and employer information, not licensing or legal advice. Confirm current rules with the West Virginia Department of Human Services, Division of Early Care and Education.