The Steady Child Care: Municipality of Anchorage Child Care and Early Education Sector Stimulus Program application period is when eligible child care programs can apply for the funds. The application will open on the thread website on June 9, 2025, and closes on July 6, 2025. All applications must be received by 11:59pm on July 6, 2025.

All eligible programs must be located in the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA). The eligible program types are:

• Child Care Centers licensed by the Municipality of Anchorage Child Care Licensing Program
• Family Child Care programs licensed by the Municipality of Anchorage Child Care Licensing Program
• American Camp Association (ACA) accredited day camp programs
• Non-relative providers with a business license who are legally providing care for four or fewer children

• The exact amount of financial support will be determined after all eligible applications are processed. This ensures we maximize money to you and expend all resources in the available project
• Funding amounts for eligible licensed child care centers and family child care programs will be based on licensed capacity
• Eligible ACA accredited day camps and Child Care homes with a business license who are legally providing care for four or fewer children that are not relatives will receive flat funding amounts
• Additional dollars may be added for other services provided

Funding for the Steady Child Care: Municipality of Anchorage Child Care and Early Education Sector Stimulus Program comes from the Anchorage Child Care and Early Education Fund. Approximately $2.3 million will be available in 2025 for eligible programs.

Yes, programs with multiple sites must submit an application for each licensed or ACA accredited site.

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

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

Yes. Licensed child care programs must enter their AKCCIS number on the application form. This number will be identified and verified by thread.

The AKCCIS number is assigned by the MOA and will appear on formal correspondence from them.

ACA accredited day camps must enter their ACA certificate number on the application form.

Yes. thread needs to have a current, accurate IRS Form W9 on file in order to approve the application. All funding 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. Alternatively, you can complete and sign a new form without errors. No type of correction product (liquid, tape, etc.) can be used on an 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.

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 MOA Child Care Licensing 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 MOA Licensing understand trends in the child care field and what current barriers you may be facing to achieve enrollment.

For those that are ACA or serving four or fewer children, please self-report your program’s allowable capacity and desired capacity.

Yes. Participation in a follow-up survey is required and agreeing to participate is part of the application. This helps thread and the ACCEE fund evaluate program impact and identify future needs.

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 child care and early education entity to receive funding.

If your address or phone number changes after your application has been submitted, please contact thread at initiatives@threadalaska.org

If thread staff have questions about your application, you will be contacted by email and/or phone. It is the applicant’s responsibility to be monitoring both those communication tools during the application process through payment if the applicant is awarded.

Once your application has been reviewed, verified as eligible, 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.

thread will issue one payment in 2025 through a check in the mail.

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

No. The Steady Child Care: Municipality of Anchorage Child Care and Early Education Sector Stimulus Program funds do not have to be repaid. thread recommends those awarded funding to keep and maintain records and other documentation showing how the funds were used.

There may be tax implications for your program. Please consult with the IRS, an accountant, or tax specialist for guidance. For tax purposes, recipient child care and early education entities are considered the “beneficiary” of these funds and thread is the “intermediary.”

Potentially. The ACCEE Board sees value in extending this program beyond 2025, but they won’t know whether it will be extended until the Anchorage Assembly and Mayor finalize the 2026 ACCEE Fund budget. That will happen in late November of 2025.