Why Us
More than 30 years of history in Alaska
For more than three decades, thread has been working to advance child development and promote early education outcomes in Alaska. Learn more about thread’s history here.
thread provides free resources and child care referral services for Alaska families, as well as provides professional development, technical assistance, and financial supports for the early childhood education industry.
thread also manages and houses Learn & Grow, Alaska’s Quality Recognition and Improvement System (QRIS) and the early childhood education industry’s Professional Development System, known as the System for Early Education Development (SEED). In addition to managing these services and systems, thread works closely with partners in tribal child care, Head Starts, school districts, military child care, and other child/youth -focused non-profits to combine efforts and resources to strengthen the quality of early childhood education in our state. In this way, thread plays a unique role in Alaska, acting as a centralized network for early childhood data, information, and services.
thread has a team of knowledgeable experts on staff who work with families, early childhood educators, early childhood education programs, and communities to enhance the quality of child care throughout the State of Alaska. We use national frameworks, tools, and strategies such as Strengthening Families, Pyramid Model, and Environmental Rating Scales (ERS),
to help programs create the best environments for young children to grow and develop. Our staff stays informed on the latest research and national best practices, which helps guide our work.