As Alaska reopens, financial support to licensed child care is needed to ensure this critical community infrastructure reopens safely and responsibly.
That is why thread recently sent a letter to officials from Alaska’s cities, boroughs and municipalities urging them invest a minimum of 10% of the federal CARES Act funding allocated by the Alaska State
Legislature to support licensed child care programs.
Licensed child care is an essential state infrastructure and a vital part of our economic recovery. Working families cannot continue to go to work or return
to the workplace without it. A lack of licensed child care will be a significant barrier to businesses reopening successfully.
While child care has been on the frontlines of the pandemic, nearly 50% of licensed child care programs were temporarily closed. Child care businesses
operate on razor-thin margins, and have fewer resources available to them than public schools. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many of these small
businesses to the brink of permanent closure.
thread estimates child care will need a minimum public investment of $10 million per month (beginning in April 2020) throughout the pandemic
and recovery process.
This investment will:
- Bring a level of stability to the child care programs that are open.
- Help closed child care programs to reopen.
- Supplement program costs related to increased staffing needs, health and safety mitigation, obtaining supplies, and more.
- Ensure working families can return to the workplace.
- Maintain affordable child care rates for families during this period.
What You Can Do
- Check with your local officials on their federal CARES Act funding
allocation decisions - Sign thread’s petition, urging State
and local lawmakers support child care
Thank you for making child care a top priority for stabilizing our economy and for Alaska’s families.