Types of Child Care
Child care is delivered in many settings, known as a mixed delivery system. Your family can make informed decisions by understanding the types of child care available in Alaska. Here are the types of child care available to your family:
Child Care Center
- Cares for 13 or more children with enough staff to maintain specific child-to-caregiver ratios.
- Children’s ages can vary from a few weeks old to age 18.
- May have multiple classrooms where children are grouped by age.
Family Child Care
- Cares for up to eight children, including the caregiver’s own children, in the caregiver’s home.
- Children of varying ages are grouped together.
Family Child Care – Group Home
- Cares for up to 12 children in the caregiver’s home, or residential property, with at least two licensed caregivers.
- May have a group of children of mixed ages, or children grouped by age.
Preschool Program
- Cares for nine or more children ages 3 to 5 years who have not yet begun kindergarten.
- Certified by the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development as a pre-elementary school.
Head Start/Early Head Start
- Cares for children from low-income families.
- Promotes school readiness through the support of mental, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age 5.
School-Age Program
- Cares for nine or more children of school-age.
- Operates on enrollment or drop-in basis.
Summer Camp/Program
- Offers broad range of indoor and outdoor environmental education experiences for children of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Schedules range from regular weekday business hours to overnight camp experiences.
- Regulated by state and/or federal guidelines, and may be accredited by the American Camp Association.
Licensing
thread‘s child care referrals are for licensed programs only.
It’s important to understand a child care license is issued by the State of Alaska Department of Health & Human Services, or your local municipality, and should not be confused with a business license.
For an early childhood education program to become licensed through the State of Alaska or the Municipality of Anchorage, it must:
- Complete a federal background check for each adult present.
- Follow state health and safety standards.
- Undergo an annual monitoring visit to ensure standards are met.
- Ensure one person with a current CPR and first aid card is on duty at all times.
- Maintain specific child-to-caregiver ratios determined by the type of care.
- Ensure each staff member receives 24 hours of child development training per year.
