Child care and summer camp providers in Anchorage can apply for stimulus money from the city starting this week to offset operating costs. Thread, a statewide child care nonprofit, will distribute the $2.3 million in funding from city marijuana taxes.
Thread CEO Stephanie Berglund said the money is meant to ensure no more child care facilities close. Anchorage had over 300 child care businesses as recently as 2015, but only about 180 remain.
“There’s a huge gap between the demand and the supply in the city, and we don’t want to see any more childcare and early education programs close,” Berglund said. “We’re hopeful that these dollars can help provide some operating support for programs, but also maybe an opportunity for them to hire an additional teacher to open that last classroom, or to be able to fully utilize the capacity that they have in their program and maybe aren’t able to offer right now.”…