ROOTS is a program that supports early educators by recognizing education, training, and professional commitment. With consistent state investment, ROOTS can become a reliable, permanent support for Alaska’s early childhood workforce and an incentive for continued quality improvement.
To date, ROOTS has been funded through a series of one-time investments. While impactful, this approach creates uncertainty for early educators and programs. Our goal this year is to work with the legislature to make ROOTS an ongoing, annual program that helps stabilize the child care sector.
The ROOTS program has supported early educators since 2008, with the first state support in 2012, when Governor Sean Parnell and the legislature invested $1 million in one-time pilot funding. Since then, additional one-time investments have followed, including $7.5 million in 2023, supported by the legislature and Governor Dunleavy.
Now that ROOTS has demonstrated success, it is time to make it permanent.
“Early childhood educators aren’t compensated adequately in comparison to other educators in the field of education and social services. The ROOTS Award helped to provide more equitable wages in 2022.” – ROOTS Award recipient
The ROOTS Award has become a powerful symbol of recognition and support for Alaska’s early educators. In 2021, 612 educators received a $500 ROOTS Award. That investment grew in 2022, with 1,544 educators receiving $3,000. In 2023, no ROOTS Award was given. By 2024, the ROOTS Award reached 1,599 early educators, each receiving $4,860. In 2025, the program continued its impact, supporting 1,740 early childhood professionals with awards of $3,165.
“If it wasn’t for the ROOTS Award, I would be closing [my child care program]. I still don’t know [my programs] future, but I’m not closing today only because of the help I received.” – ROOTS Award recipient.
See thread’s State Policy Agenda for FY27:
How You Can Help Right Now
If you have received a ROOTS award in the past, or if you have benefited from being part of a program that has, your voice matters. You can share your story and send a note of encouragement to your state elected officials, asking them to Grow Our ROOTS.
It is necessary to keep child care programs open, support families’ ability to work, and continue improving quality across the system! Alaska can join states such as Tennessee, North Dakota, and North Carolina, which have successfully used state general funds to support workforce retention stipends for child care professionals.
Research supports this approach. The Buffett Institute found that workforce turnover in Virginia decreased from 34% to 17% after implementing a stipend program. By passing the ROOTS award this year, Alaska can help retain early childhood educators, strengthen professional pathways, and recruit new educators into the field.
The first five years of life are a period of rapid brain growth, with up to one million neural connections forming every second. These connections are shaped by everyday interactions with caring, responsive adults. That’s why quality child care matters. Early educators are helping build the foundation for lifelong learning, behavior, and health. When we invest in them, we’re investing in stronger families, a stronger workforce, and a stronger future for everyone.