The Focus On Child Care Grant: Building Resilience Post-Pandemic application period is when eligible child care programs can apply for the grant. The application will open on the thread website on January 18th, 2024, and close on February 19th, 2024. All applications must be received by February 19th, 2024.

The following program types are eligible to apply:

• Licensed Child Care Center
• Licensed Group Home
• Licensed Family Child Care
• Licensed Afterschool/School-age Program
• Approved Relative or In-Home Care 
• Programs must be open on the date of application and certify they will remain open for three months following receipt of funds.

Not eligible:

• Programs not licensed through the State of Alaska Child Care Program Office or Municipality of Anchorage.
• Programs not opened as of February 19th, 2024.

The Focus on Child Care: Building Resilience Post-Pandemic will be the final non-competitive grant available through COVID-19 relief funds. Grant amounts will be based on licensed capacity. In addition, the Focus on Child Care: Building Resilience Post-Pandemic grant formula includes a differential based on cost of living in different communities in Alaska. The bullet points below highlight the rationale and implementation of the cost of living formula.

• In aligning with efforts to create more equity and access to affordable, high-quality early child care, a multiplier targeting areas with higher costs of living in Alaska was used in our FOCUS on Child Care Grant: Building Resilience Post-Pandemic. 
• This multiplier is based on the cost-of-living index chart included in the 2023 Alaska Economic Trends data analysis, conducted by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
• According to this analysis, Alaska communities’ costs of living ranged from 28 percent higher than the national average in Anchorage and Wasilla to 46 percent higher than the national average in Bethel and Cordova.
• A base amount per child of $511 was determined using the amount of funding available and the total licensed capacity of eligible applicants. This base amount was multiplied by the cost-of-living percentage increase each community is experiencing.
• With this multiplier, the minimum per child amount in a community would be $654.08. The maximum per child amount would be $746.06.
• For communities that were not captured in this chart, the “other” category from the chart was utilized to calculate the differential.
• Feedback from Child Care Provider Town Halls and surveys conducted following previous grant opportunities indicated a need to support providers who are affected by increased cost of living based on their location in Alaska.
• The Child Care Development Fund, which guides and supports the Child Care Program Office and its mission in Alaska, encourages prioritizing services for vulnerable children and families. The Child Care Program Office is committed to recognizing the increased vulnerability of those living in communities who are negatively impacted by increased cost of living.

The cost-of-living index utilized for this adjustment can be found in the State of Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s report “Alaska Economic Trends, July 2023.” This report can be found at:

• https://live.laborstats.alaska.gov/trends-magazine/2023/July/the-cost-of-living-in-alaska

The Focus on Child Care Grant: Building Resilience Post-Pandemic includes additional funding opportunities for eligible programs based in the following location:

• Municipality of Anchorage: For eligible programs in the Municipality of Anchorage additional funding is supported by a grant from the Municipality of Anchorage’s Assembly and Mayor’s Office.

This is a second round of funding from the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA).  Even if your program received funding from this MOA location-based grant previously, you are still eligible for this second round of MOA funding.

The funding for the Focus on Child Care Grant: Building Resilience Post-Pandemic is possible through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Supplemental Fund, with the State of Alaska’s Child Care Program Office as the lead agency and thread as the intermediary for grant distribution. 

Additional funding is available to eligible programs located in the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) by way of the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) Child Care Stabilization Grant. The funding for this grant is possible through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund via a grant from the Municipality of Anchorage’s Assembly and Mayor’s Office. thread is the intermediary for grant distribution.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number is: 93.575.

Yes, an application must be completed and submitted for each licensed site location.

Yes, the grant application can be translated into different languages. Instruction for how to access these translations appear at the top of the grant application.

Yes. If you require assistance, please email thread at: covidrelief@threadalaska.org and request technical assistance.

Yes, the ICCIS number must be entered on the application form. This number will be identified and verified by thread with the State of Alaska Child Care Program Office (CCPO) in the application review process.

ICCIS stands for Integrated Child Care Information System and is generated by the CCPO. This number will appear on formal correspondence from the CCPO.

Enrollment is different than capacity. “Enrollment” is the number of children enrolled in the program at any given time. “Capacity” or “Licensed Capacity” is determined by the State of Alaska Child Care Program Office (CCPO) and is the number of children permitted to be present at any one time. The number of enrolled children may be greater than the licensed capacity due to part-time enrollments. The number may be smaller due to factors like staffing shortages, concerns about health and safety, etc.

The application does ask for enrollment numbers, both current enrollment and desired. This information helps thread and the CCPO understand trends in the child care field and what current barriers you may be facing to achieve enrollment.

Yes. thread needs to have a current, accurate IRS Form W9 on file in order to approve the application. All grant applications are required to upload a current, completed, and signed IRS Form W9.

Incomplete or incorrect forms may delay the application processing time. Information on how to complete the IRS Form W9 is available on the application form. The IRS Form W9 can be downloaded here.

If you make an error completing your IRS Form W9, you can cross out the error but it must be initialed by you, indicating that you recognized the error, crossed it out, and completed the field with the correct response. Alternately, you can complete and sign a new form without errors. No type of correction product (liquid, tape, etc.) can be used on a IRS Form W9.

Yes, it is acceptable to upload a photo of IRS Form W9 as long as it is legible and all of the required fields appear in the photo.

Immediately after your initial submission, you will receive a “thank you” message on the screen that your application was submitted for review. This lets you know that your application was received and is being reviewed by thread.

If thread has questions regarding your application, you will be notified by email and/or phone. You will have the opportunity to submit any missing information or correct any mistakes. The goal is for every eligible program to receive a grant.

Once your application has been reviewed, verified by the Child Care Program Office (CCPO), approved for payment, and a check is being prepared, you will receive an email from thread. This email serves as your approval notification and indicates that your check will be arriving soon.

There is no time limit by which the grant needs be spent as long as it is spent on the approved categories listed on the grant application. It is important to keep records in the event your program is audited.

No. The Focus on Child Care Grant: Building Resilience Post-Pandemic does not have to be repaid as long as you meet all of the certified acknowledgements on the application during the three (3) month grant period. The three (3) month grant period begins with the receipt of your grant check.

However, if the program closes during the three (3) month grant period, you will need to contact thread to determine if part or all of the funds need to be returned.

There may be tax implications for your program, please consult with the IRS, an accountant, or tax specialist for guidance. For tax purposes, programs are considered the “beneficiary” of these federal funds. The State of Alaska Child Care Program Office (CCPO) is designated the “lead agency” and thread is the “intermediary.”

No. The Focus on Child Care Grant: Building Resilience Post-Pandemic is the last remaining federal COVID-19 resources that will be allocated to child care.

If your address changes after your application has been submitted, please contact thread at covidrelief@threadalaska.org.

The State of Alaska Child Care Program Office (CCPO) and thread have been promoting/communicating the Focus on Child Care Grant: Building Resilience Post-Pandemic via the CCPO and thread websites, social media platforms, and email sent from the thread and/or CCPO email account (covidrelief@threadalaska.org, ccpo@alaska.gov, etc.).

Third-party communications related to this grant program are not controlled or endorsed by the CCPO and/or thread. The CCPO and thread do not recommend or endorse any product or service activity related to the use of funds from the Focus on Child Care Grant: Building Resilience Post-Pandemic.