Child Care in Anchorage

2027 ACCEE Fund Programs

The Board submitted its 2027 proposed recommended and alternative budgets with accompanying cover letter to Mayor LaFrance and the Anchorage Assembly on September 4, 2026.

2026 ACCEE Fund Programs

The Board submitted its 2026 proposed budget and accompanying cover letter to Mayor LaFrance and the Anchorage Assembly on August 29, 2025. The Mayor used the Board’s recommendations to create her 2026 proposed ACCEE Fund budget (Appendix R, page 8), which was submitted to the Assembly on October 2, 2025. The Assembly considered and voted on the final 2026 budget on November 18, 2025. The only change made to Mayor LaFrance’s proposal was to reduce funding for pilot and capital projects by $125,000 in Amendment 1 to AO 2025 - 106 to accommodate the Imagination Library.

Subsidies Program. $1.625M in 2026 approved by the Anchorage AM 324-2025(A).
- To apply or for more information, please visit the Alaska Family Services (AFS) website.
- Application materials linked on AFS: family application, provider application, and payment request form.
Operational Assistance Program. $2.4M in 2026 approved by the Anchorage AM 241-2025.
- It includes two cycles of funding in 2026.
  ‍ ‍Applications for the first payment were accepted from 4/2/26 to 4/26/26.
  ‍ ‍Applications for the second payment are accepted from 8/1/26 to 8/21/26.
- For more information or to apply, visit thread’s website.
Early Intervention Program. $2M in 2026 approved by the Anchorage AM 145-2026.
- For more information or to apply, please visit the Anchorage School District website .
- Application linked on ASD for the 2026-27 school year lottery.
Pilot and Capital Projects. $1.25M in 2026 approved by the Anchorage AM 375-2026.
Request for Grant Proposals (RFGP) opened on 3/5/26 and closed on 4/10/26. The Evaluation Committee and Assembly approved grant recipients below on 6/9/26 to be completed by 12/31/26.

Anchorage Montessori School (Capital project) 1. ASD - Early Education Collective (Pilot Project)
ASD Denali Montessori (Capital project) 2. Hillcrest Children’s Center (Pilot Project)
Carousel Child Care Center (Capital project)
First United Methodist Church (Capital project)
Joan’s Preschool Center (Capital project)
Joy Child Development Center (Capital project)
Rural Alaska Community Action Program (Capital project)

2025 ACCEE Fund Programs

The Municipality implemented its first ever ACCEE Fund budget in 2025, which included three primary programs: Pilot Project and Capital Funding, Educator Child Care Subsidies, and Operational Assistance for providers. The Mayor used the Implementation Team’s recommendations to create her 2025 proposed ACCEE Fund budget(Appendix R, page 7), which was submitted to the Assembly on 2024.

Subsidies Program. $1.25M in 2025 approved by the Anchorage AM 324-2025(A).
- First payments made in August 2025. These subsidies are available to support the cost of child care for early educators and other sector workers. This program is operated by Alaska Family Services. It secures affordable care for a population that often does not have access to it and keeps child care workers in the sector, thereby creating more child care spots for other families. Payments for the cost of care are made monthly to the entity providing care. Educators or other sector employees with children can review eligibility criteria here. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.
- For more information, please visit the Alaska Family Services website.
Operational Assistance Program. $2.4M in 2025 approved by the Anchorage AM 241-2025.
- Direct financial assistance to existing child care providers to support operational costs and stabilize the sector. It is available to all licensed entities, plus accredited camps and some entities exempt from licensing requirements. The application period for this program closed on July 9, 2025 and thread Alaska distributed payments to approximately 200 eligible entities in August and September.
- For more information or to apply, visit thread’s website.
Early Intervention Program. $1,999,850 in 2025 approved by the Anchorage AM 757-2022.
- For more information, please visit the Anchorage School District website.
Pilot and Capital Projects. $2M in 2025 approved by the Anchorage AM 520-2025.
Flexible financial assistance that drives innovation, increases access to quality, affordable child care, and brings further investment in the sector.
Request for Grant Proposals (RFGP) opened on 4/3/25 and closed on 5/15/25.
Twenty organizations were approved for funding in 2025. Below are one-pager summaries of the completed projects.