Providers say they need to increase wages to retain staff and keep classrooms open.
Alaska lawmakers approved legislation that would nearly double the state’s support to early childhood programs for low income families.
Last year the Legislature would have given Head Starts $5 million in one-time funding, but Gov. Mike DunleavyThe new proposal still needs Dunleavy’s approval to become law, but Lackey said this year he is optimistic. He pointed to the governor’s initiation of a task force to find solutions to the child care crunch: “He saw that the sector needed help and that he saw that families were not able to stay in Alaska.
Lackey said that’s necessary because Head Start programs, unlike private centers, cannot increase their rates to support better wages for staff. “We’re serving parents that don’t have those resources,” he said. “So when our grants are flat for 14 years — it really hurts. So this is huge.” The increase also benefits rural areas. Anne Shade, director of Bristol Bay Native Association’s child care programs, called it “life changing.”
Lackey said the state’s commitment staves off future closures and allows Head Start programs to rebuild.
Anne Shade Child Care Providers Head Start Mark Lackey
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