Smart2Start (VA)

Virginia Nonprofit Delivers a Unified Application for Families

Coordinated eligibility and enrollment is a concept that many people in the early care education field are familiar with, but few can agree on what it actually means. Often, families need to go to one place to find care (a challenge in and of itself in many communities), then navigate a maze of applications for the programs that make it possible to afford that care. 

That gap is what the concept of coordinated eligibility and enrollment is designed to close. The model is gaining traction across the country as more states and organizations attempt to address these obstacles head-on. What this looks like in practice varies widely, but, when done well, the result is increased participation in public programs and more children receiving care.

For United Way of Virginia’s Blue Ridge (UWVBR) initiative, the path toward coordinated enrollment began with conversations among community partners and a shared growth mindset—a willingness to test an approach, learn from what happened, and make adjustments as needed. That work ultimately became Smart2Start, a streamlined program through which families can complete just one application to find the right early care and education options for their children while also identifying their eligibility for the publicly funded programs that can make those options more affordable. 

Partnering With Providers

Smart2Start’s roots in collaboration have continued to influence the program. UWVBR has fostered an environment in which public schools, Head Start programs, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations all play an active role in reviewing applications and conducting eligibility determinations for four distinct state and federal financial assistance programs. This hands-on approach promotes family choice and reduces turnaround times from application to enrollment. 

The shared workload has enabled Smart2Start’s community to process an average of more than 2,600 applications annually over the past three years, far more than would have been feasible with a centralized model. 

“The real work has been building the relationships, trust, processes, and shared ownership among the people and organizations serving families,” said Hollie Harmon-Smith, Access and Engagement Coordinator at UWVBR.

None of this could be managed with spreadsheets alone. Since 2022, UWVBR has partnered with BridgeCare to provide an intuitive front-end experience for families and the dynamic, cross-team functionality they need on the back end to support their referral and application processing workflows.

A Human-Centered Approach to a Complex Challenge

Because the statewide child care search portal administered by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF) also runs on BridgeCare’s platform, families who select a provider in UWVBR’s region are automatically redirected to the Smart2Start application. To families, it never feels like a handoff, just one continuous experience from search through enrollment.

Smart2Start navigators receive submitted applications and assign them to the appropriate provider based on family preferences. Those providers are automatically notified of the pending application so they can fill the role of reviewer, checking for all required documentation, determining and communicating eligibility for assistance programs, and ultimately ensuring the child is placed in the right environment for them. 

“There is a lot of work that happens behind the scenes that families may never see,” says Harmon-Smith. “Our goal is for that complexity to stay on our side of the process so families can experience something that feels as simple and seamless as possible.”

Doing More With Less

This partnership has been a textbook example of technology freeing up capacity and supporting the people who are actually doing the work. In the past, Smart2Start had to assign two dedicated navigators to walk families through their applications; today, that need for hand-holding is gone, and those same team members can focus on other priorities, including the data analysis that shapes where UWVBR focuses next. 

The application process has worked so well that when the original funding source went away, UWVBR entered into a new contract directly with BridgeCare to ensure continuity and keep the Smart2Start program running smoothly. As the years have passed, the team has been able to make the process easier on providers, set up automations to reduce turnaround times, and continuously improve the experience for all participants. 

“Our partnership with BridgeCare has allowed us to continually refine the system rather than having to start over every time a need changes. That flexibility has been incredibly important as Smart2Start and Ready Region West have continued to grow.”

Hollie Harmon-Smith, Access and Engagement Coordinator, United Way of Virginia’s Blue Ridge