Few would dispute that Wrangell needs affordable, dependable child care services.
The lack of child care keeps parents away from filling the long list of job vacancies around town and, when their kids are sick, can keep them away from the jobs they already hold. People need to work and want to raise children, and the community needs more children in school and more people to take jobs — child care seems a reasonable approach toward meeting all those needs.
And while there are some at-home providers in town, and certainly friends and relatives who help out, too, the lack of any licensed child care centers in the community means that none of the millions of dollars in federal money designated to help child care providers can come to Wrangell.
Thread, a statewide child care resource agency and referral network, is helping to administer those aid programs. The first round, in the fall of 2021, distributed $4.5 million to 398 state-licensed child care programs across Alaska. The second round, about $12.2 million as of last month, also went to licensed providers, as did a $4.4 million program in between to help retain workers.
And now another program, planned to start up later this year, has about $23 million to distribute to licensed providers.
The licensing requirement is not unreasonable to receive the federal and state aid. It’s an assurance that the program meets minimum health and safety standards for families and the use of public money.
A Department of Labor report this past spring estimated that about 61% of Alaskans live in areas without reasonable access to child care. Count Wrangell in that 61%.
Though the community cannot access any of the money designated for licensed care facilities, there is hope for next time. Several individuals and organizations in town have talked about what it will take to offer more child care services. Thread, to help reduce that 61% number across Alaska, is planning an initiative to help start-ups get licensed.
It would be good if a borough assembly member or borough official could serve as the moderator, master of ceremonies or organizer to help get everyone together to talk about the need and possible answers before Wrangell loses out on the next funding opportunity for lack of a licensed provider in town.
— Wrangell Sentinel
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