• President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget: The proposed budget delivers for families across this country with increased investments to expand access to child care and reduce its costs, including $22.1 billion for existing early care and education programs and boosting the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to $9 billion and Head Start programs to $13.2 billion.
  
• Child Care for Working Families: This proposed legislation supports three programs:
  • Birth Through Five Child Care and Early Learning Program
  • Building an Affordable System for Early Education (BASE) Grants
  • Universal Preschool Program
    
• Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act: This proposed legislation would provide competitive grants for states to train child care workers and build or renovate child care facilities.

Federal Child Care Bills Child Care Aware of America is tracking

Alaska 33rd Legislative Session

• Last year’s State Budget: On June 19, Governor Dunleavy signed the final FY24 budget. thread is grateful for the additional financial support for child care that was maintained in the final budget:
  • $7.5 million one-time funding for child care provider wages
  • $1.5 million one-time funding for Head Start programs
• This year’s State Budget: thread is advocating for the legislature to add $30.5M to the operating budget child care benefits line item that would:
  • Support small businesses
  • Reduce turnover and support early educator training and pay with stipends
  • Reduce the cost of care for families.
  • $5.2 million in one-time funding for Head Start programs
• House Bill 89 (HB89) – Day Care Assistance/Child Care Grant Program sponsored by Rep. Coulombe – this bill would allow for provision of child care assistance to families earning less than 105% of the state median wage and would adjust subsidies to reflect the actual average cost of providing child care at Alaska child care facilities. View thread’s letter of support.
• SB189, which includes the landmark Child Care Bill HB89, has officially become law in Alaska! This historic achievement marks a monumental step forward for child care in our state and is a testament to the power of collective advocacy and perseverance. Key highlights of SB189 include:
  • Increased funding aimed at expanding child care assistance by $6.1M annually.
  • Provision of $2–4M in business tax credits to incentivize investment in child care programs.
  • Recognition of the true “Cost of Care” for delivering child care services, bridging the gap between costs and state reimbursements.
  • Tying funding to quality initiatives to uphold and enhance child care standards.
• Head Start Funding: The Governor vetoed half of the $5.2M increase to Head Start passed by the legislature, allowing for a $2.6M increase to the base of the budget. This is the first increase to Head Start in 14 years and means $9.4M in annual funding now.
• $7.5M One-Time Child Care Grants: Passed the budget process without a veto! We desperately need these dollars to support the supply of child care in Alaska and assist programs teetering on the brink of closure. 

• Anchorage – thread endorsed Proposition 14, the Care for Kids Initiative
  • April 2023, MOA voted yes on Prop 14.  This initiative:
  • Dedicates current revenue collected from local Anchorage marijuana taxes to provide affordable, high-quality child care and early education for Anchorage children. That amounts to between $5-6 million per year. Private child care and education providers are eligible.
  • Lowers the tax cap to provide protections for property tax payers.
  • Establishes an independent advisory board to evaluate the use of the funds.

• Anchorage – Paid parental leave for municipal employees
  • thread congratulates the Municipality of Anchorage Assembly for supporting families by increasing paid parental leave for municipal employees. Research shows that paid parental leave has significant benefits for the entire family by reducing financial stress and allowing parents time to bond with their child.
    
    
• City and Borough of Juneau – Cost Waivers for Child Care Providers
  • The scope of the funding is divided into 3 categories:
    • Direct subsidies to licensed providers on a per-child basis, with higher subsidies for infant/toddler care;
    • Education incentives to individuals who increase their child care education, based on a tier system;
    • CBJ cost waivers for required annual Fire Marshal inspections and Conditional Use Permit fees.