Microporous has plans to soon announce the first phase of our Child Care Initiative, a program which will offer grants to help address regional child care needs.
Southern Virginia is on the rise. With bold investment, strategic development and strong regional partnerships, the region is building a future where innovation and opportunity go hand in hand. Nowhere is this clearer than in the recent announcement by Microporous, which plans to invest $1.35 billion to develop a state-of-the-art battery separator manufacturing facility at the Southern Virginia Megasite. This project is expected to create more than 2,000 new jobs by 2035, solidifying the region’s role as a hub for advanced energy technologies.
But we aren’t just investing in buildings and equipment. We’re investing in people. As part of our long-term commitment to the Southern Virginia and North Carolina region, Microporous has launched the Community Benefits Workforce Mobility Initiative — a strategic program designed to address one of the most urgent challenges facing working families and employers alike: child care.
Child care is not just a personal concern — it’s an economic imperative. When families lack access to reliable, affordable childcare, it limits parents’ ability to work, strains business productivity, and stalls regional economic growth. In rural areas, the challenges are even greater. Many communities across Southern Virginia are classified as child care deserts, where access to licensed providers is scarce or nonexistent. This isn’t sustainable — for families or for our economy.
Microporous has plans to soon announce the first phase of our Child Care Initiative, a program which will offer grants to help address regional child care needs. These grants are open to businesses and nonprofit organizations, supporting both new initiatives and the expansion of existing programs in the service region around the Southern Virginia Megasite. The focus is three-fold: increasing child care availability, improving classroom quality and safety standards, and supporting professional development for child care staff.
This initiative is more than a one-time investment. It’s part of a yearly funding commitment from Microporous to tackle systemic barriers to workforce participation. We believe that when parents can work with peace of mind, knowing their children are in safe and enriching environments, the entire community will benefit.
Recent polling by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation reinforces this urgency: 88 percent of Virginia voters support policies that expand access to quality, affordable child care. And as this outlet noted in recent coverage, rural regions — often the hardest hit by the child care crisis — showed some of the strongest support for child care investment across the Commonwealth.
We know this is a challenge that no single employer can solve alone. Our hope is that this model inspires other businesses — large and small — to step forward, think creatively, and collaborate with local stakeholders to support child care solutions. Whether through direct investment, flexible scheduling, partnerships with providers, or advocating for policy change, every employer has a role to play.
We look forward to working with local organizations to build a stronger, more resilient child care ecosystem in Southern Virginia — one that supports working families and unlocks the full potential of this region’s workforce.
Child care is not a secondary issue. It’s a workforce issue, a business issue, and a future-of-our-region and Commonwealth issue. Together, we can tackle one project and one region at a time, ensuring that growth at the megasite means opportunity for every family in our region — not just in the workplace, but also at home.
Brad Reed is vice president of corporate development for Microporous. Clarissa Burke is Microporous’ Human Resources manager.
Linda Green is the executive director of the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance and vice president of economic development at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.
(Note: Burke and Green serve as co-chairs of the Microporous Community Benefits Workforce Mobility Initiative.)