Issue – The financial burden on child care programs has grown during the pandemic. Alaska must fully stabilize the child care system as a first step towards full recovery. The State of Alaska’s 2021-22 response plan is making financial assistance available to child care programs and educators via federal stimulus funding.  While this investment is slowly helping to stabilize the system, it is a short-term solution.  Majority of child care programs remain on the verge of closure. Alaska must prioritize and invest in child care as an essential service to stabilize system and then build it back better.

Solutions – To stabilize the system and ensure pre-COVID-19 child care capacity is there for families, Alaska needs to:

• Ensure adequate funding for child care programs. thread estimates a $10M/month need in Alaska.
  • While federal funding is available, continue the current (2022-2023) State of Alaska Child Care Program Office stabilization grant program for child care programs to access funding based on need, and flexibility to use the funding for operations, workforce, family support, etc.
  • Ensure child care programs are eligible for small business and nonprofit grants, and other community resources available.

• Ensure access to high-quality child care remains stable.
  • Continue to maintain current child care licensing regulations to ensure programs continue to operate safety and effectively, and with quality standards.
  • Leverage federal waiver opportunities recognizing that child care programs have altered their business models, and help make it easier for programs to operate and receive funds.
  • Prioritize access for child care to obtain PPE and supplies (as essential workers) to continue to do their work safely.
    
• Ensure economic recovery planning and policy includes child care.
  • Ensure alignment between child care and K-12 education planning for greater learning outcomes and community solutions.
  • Ensure child care support and collaboration is part of any COVID-19 policy, regulation, and law. This includes State and local economic recovery planning.
  • Dedicate State and local government funding for child care.

thread Support – thread is partnering with the State of Alaska Child Care Program Office to serve as the intermediary for disbursing federal stimulus funding. In Phase 1 of stabilization grants for child care, 396 eligible programs received $4.5M in assistance.

Issue – The access and affordability of child care has been a growing issue for years. Families need access to high-quality child care, but cannot afford to pay more. The pandemic has added a new level of stress and uncertainty to Alaska’s families. Some parents have faced job loss while others juggled parental responsibilities with remote work demands. Many working mothers have left the workforce to stay home. There is concern tuition costs will increase even more as the operational costs for child care programs has increased with the need for smaller class sizes, additional staff and PPE supplies. Alaska must support working families that need access to affordable, high-quality child care.

Solutions – To help families afford high-quality child care, Alaska must:

• Invest in child care programs with flexibility and equity front and center.
  • Cover and/or offset family costs through 2022.
  • Ensure adequate subsidies are in place to best support families.
  • Ensure families have equitable access to high-quality child care, in a variety of settings, that meets their needs.
  • Keep equity front and center by ensuring families with the greatest need are served first, particularly if funds are limited.
    
• Use cost-based methods to establish child care reimbursement rates that are more accurate and equitable than market price surveys.
  • Support more families in need of child care assistance by raising the (minimum) income eligibility requirement.
  • If using the market price survey, increase financial support for families in need to ensure that they can afford at least 75% of the child care available.

• Maintain COVID-19 policies to mitigate risks for children and families, and ensure families have easy access to information.
  • Use science to inform decision-making for children in child care.
  • Provide easy access to information that is clear regarding health and safety protocols for children and child care.
    
• Ensure families are able to find safe, affordable, high-quality child care in a variety of settings.
  
• Ensure families’ needs and preferences drive policy and funding decisions.
  

thread Support – thread encourages families to choose licensed/regulated care and avoid placing children in unlicensed care. For families in need of care, thread continues to be a resource for both free child care referrals as well as early childhood information. thread also encourages families to talk with their employer about flexible work schedules and leave.

Issue – Early educators have always provided essential services to families by caring for our greatest asset—young children. For this valuable work, they earn some of the lowest wages in the state (Avg. $12/hour or 15% below the national average wage) with little to no benefits. This uninsured workforce has shown up throughout the pandemic without appropriate pay, health care benefits, paid sick leave, personal protective equipment, or recognition that should come with their work. Some early educators have left the sector permanently. In a recent thread survey, 25% of child care programs reported needing more qualified staff. Eighty-two percent of early educators reported needing more training and education around current issues. The early childhood education workforce is a fragile, underfunded, and undervalued workforce. Most are living below poverty level unable to support their own families. Solving this problem isn’t as simple as having parents pay more for child care because most parents can’t afford to pay more. Alaska must make an investment to foster a more skilled, competent, confident and consistent early childhood education workforce.

Solutions – To ensure we recover, recruit, and retain a qualified early childhood education workforce, Alaska needs to:

• Dedicate funding to child care programs for staffing. This includes funding to support:
  • Increased staffing needs due to smaller group sizes and accommodating for illness related absences.
  • Compensation for additional work duties including health checks, cleaning, and sanitizing.
  • Offer paid time for all work including training and professional development.
    
• Pay early educators a livable wage and access to benefits.
  • Improve wage compensation.
  • Offer incentives for retention and professional development.
  • Offer access to health and other benefits such as paid sick leave.
    
• Ensure labor supports and benefits include early educators.
  • Ensure early educators are considered among essential workers, integral to our economic infrastructure and pandemic recovery efforts.
  • Ensure early educators have the provisions necessary to protect their well-being including access to supplies, unemployment benefits, and health insurance.
  • Ensure access to adequate health supports including testing and care.
  • Ensure early educators are part of labor planning, resources, policy and laws. This includes State and local economic recovery planning.

thread Support – thread is offering training at no cost through June 30, 2023, and has introduced COVID specific workshops. thread is also partnering with the State of Alaska Child Care Program Office to disburse federal stimulus funding to early educators enrolled in Alaska SEED, Alaska’s early childhood professional development system.

Issue – Approximately a third of Alaska workers have children under the age of 18. During the pandemic, the struggle between balancing work and home has become even harder for working families. Many working mothers have left the workforce as a result. As Alaskans return to the workforce, adequate and affordable child care options are necessary to avoid the negative financial impacts to families and the economy. In 2021, the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation reported that Alaska loses $165 million annually due to child care breakdowns. Individual businesses can be a part of the solution to ensure a strong workforce.

Solutions – Alaska’s businesses are encouraged to:

• Learn employee needs and consider the best support.
  
• Offer the most flexibility as possible, including:
  • Remote work options.
  • Flexible work schedules.
  • Options to bring children to work.
    
• Support the emotional health/stress of employees through the pandemic.
  • Offer benefits to support wellness including EAP, food assistance, wellness supports, and more.
    
• Invest in employee child care supports, including:
  • Offer funding to cover/offset child care costs.
  • Purchase “slots” for employees at a licensed community-based child care program.
  • Create a licensed child care program (or out of school care) at the work site for employees.
    
• Adopt a policy position in support of child care including family-friendly policies, and public investments for an effective child care system as part of the State’s economic development agenda.

thread Support – Individual businesses must decide how best to support their working families in keeping their children safe and healthy. thread can be a resource for businesses interested in providing child care solutions to employees.