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Virginia Childcare Business Brokerage

Sell Your Virginia Childcare Center, Preschool, or Private School With Complete Confidentiality

With 37+ years of exclusive early-education transaction experience, SIP and its Virginia-licensed broker help owners maximize exit value while protecting staff, enrolled families, and legacy.

Request a Confidential Virginia ValuationCall (888) 881-0118 (Hablamos Español)
  • 37+ YearsEst. 1989
  • 1,000+Centers sold
  • $1B+In closed sales
  • ConfidentialBlind-profile process

Why Selling a Childcare Business in Virginia Requires a Specialist Broker

Selling a licensed child day center in Virginia requires coordinating a new Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) license for the buyer, fingerprint background checks, the Child Care Subsidy Program vendor change, and VQB5 participation. General business brokers often overlook these regulatory triggers, risking closing delays or enrollment loss.

Strictly speaking, a Virginia childcare license does not move with the business. The state's licensing regulations (8VAC20-821) say a license is not transferable from one person to another, and no applicant may begin operations that require a license before being issued one. That one rule sets off a chain of steps the buyer, the lender, and you all have to plan around:

  • A new license. Issued by VDOE to the new owner before it begins operating.
  • Fingerprint background checks. Fingerprint-based checks for the center's staff and volunteers under Va. Code § 22.1-289.035.
  • A new subsidy vendor application. The new owner of an approved subsidy vendor applies using VDOE's change-of-ownership option.
  • VQB5 participation. Publicly funded programs serving children from birth to five must participate in Virginia Quality Birth to Five.

SIP has focused on childcare and private-school transactions since E.T. and Pam Strickland founded the firm in 1989, and our Virginia broker, Jason Strickland, has owned and operated five preschools and a K–12 private school. We build these steps into the purchase agreement and closing schedule from the start, so licensing and funding deadlines are planned for, not discovered late.

How We Value Virginia Daycares, Preschools & Educational Real Estate

A defensible price starts with the right earnings measure and a clear view of the real estate. We work through both with you before your business goes to market.

SDE or EBITDA

Owner-operated centers are usually valued on seller's discretionary earnings (SDE): profit with the owner's salary, benefits, and one-time or personal expenses added back, because the buyer will usually step into the owner's role. Larger centers and multi-site groups with a director and management team in place are usually valued on EBITDA, the measure multi-unit operators and investors use to compare acquisitions.

Leased Facility or Fee-Simple Property

In a leased center, much of the value rides on the lease: the term remaining, renewal options, rent, and whether the landlord will consent to an assignment or a new lease for the buyer. When you own the building outright (fee simple), the real estate is valued separately from the business, and the two can be sold together or separately.

Keep the Building, Become the Landlord

Owners who want ongoing income can sell the business, keep the real estate, and sign the buyer to a new triple-net (NNN) lease, under which the tenant pays property taxes, insurance, and maintenance on top of rent. The rent you set works on both sides: it is an expense in the business's earnings and the income that sets the building's value as an investment.

Multiples vary widely: two Virginia centers with similar revenue can be valued very differently once enrollment, staff tenure, licensing history, Child Care Subsidy Program and VQB5 participation, and the lease are taken into account. How our confidential valuation works

Navigating Virginia VDOE Licensing, Subsidy & VQB5 Transitions

What changes hands in a Virginia childcare sale, what doesn't, and who signs off.

Who licenses the new owner

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) licenses child day centers. Under the licensing regulations (8VAC20-821), a license is not transferable from one person to another, no applicant may begin licensed operations before being issued a license, and a standard license runs for two years.

Background checks

Va. Code § 22.1-289.035 requires fingerprint-based background checks for child day program staff and volunteers. A prior check carries over only if it was completed within five years and the person has worked or volunteered at a covered program within the past 180 days, so the buyer's team should start early.

Child Care Subsidy Program

If your center is an approved subsidy vendor, the new owner submits an initial vendor application using the change-of-ownership option. VDOE handles these applications first so care for enrolled children can continue, but they still belong in the closing schedule.

VQB5 and religious exemptions

Publicly funded programs serving children from birth to five must participate in Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5). Some centers operated by religious institutions are exempt from licensure under Va. Code § 22.1-289.031; because the exemption depends on the operator, we confirm with VDOE what the buyer will need.

Visit Child Care VA (VDOE)

General information, not legal advice. Agencies update their forms and rules, so confirm current requirements with your licensing office.

Statewide Representation Across Every Major Virginia Market

SIP's Virginia-licensed broker represents sellers across the state. VDOE licenses child day centers statewide, so the same rules apply in every market.

  • Northern Virginia

    • Fairfax County
    • Loudoun & Prince William counties
    • Arlington & Alexandria

  • Richmond & Central Virginia

    • Richmond
    • Chesterfield & Henrico counties
    • Charlottesville

  • Hampton Roads

    • Virginia Beach
    • Chesapeake & Norfolk
    • Newport News & Hampton

  • Shenandoah & Southwest

    • Roanoke
    • Lynchburg
    • Harrisonburg & Winchester

Don't see your area? Our Virginia broker works statewide; call (888) 881-0118.

Virginia Childcare Sellers: Common Questions

Private. Confidential. No Obligation.

Request a Confidential Virginia Valuation

Tell us about your Virginia center and what you are considering. Your inquiry is confidential and puts you under no obligation.

Jason Strickland, Broker at School Investment Properties, childcare business brokerage

Broker | Multi-State

Jason Strickland

Jason has owned and operated five preschool facilities and a K–12 private school, and evaluates a school from both the financial and the educational side, so every fact that affects the sale is found and weighed.

Meet our team

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