Past Child Care Legislation
Follow the legislative trends for early childhood education.
2019-Present
National
- Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Funding: In December 2022, US Congress passed more than $1.9 billion CCDBG increase for core federal early learning and care programs in fiscal year 2023.
- Learn about the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) law that authorizes the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program administered by states and tribes, and supports families in accessing child care.
- Federal Support During the Pandemic
- Child Care in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 (Passed March 2021): Provided funding for the (1) Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to support child care and families, and (2) Child Care Stabilization Funding to stabilize child care through the remainder of the pandemic.
- Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) (Passed December 2020): Provided $10 billion through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to stabilize child care and support families.
- Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) (Passed April 2020): Provided $3.5 billion in additional funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to provide child care assistance to frontline workers and stabilize child care.
- Child Care is Essential Act (HR7027) This bill establishes and provides $50 billion in appropriations for the Child Care Stabilization Fund to award grants to child care providers during and after the COVID-19 public health emergency. This bill passed the House on July 29, 2020. Sent to U.S. Senate.
State
2024
- 2024 thread Endorsed Bills
- SB189, which includes the landmark Child Care Bill HB89, officially became law in Alaska, representing one of the largest state investments in child care in Alaska’s history.
- 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.
- SB189, which includes the landmark Child Care Bill HB89, officially became law in Alaska, representing one of the largest state investments in child care in Alaska’s history.
- Head Start Funding: Governor Dunleavy 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 was the first increase to Head Start in 14 years and meant $9.4M in annual funding.
- $7.5M One-Time Child Care Grants: Passed the budget process without a veto to support the supply of child care in Alaska and assist programs teetering on the brink of closure.
2022
- State Budget Signed June 28
- Capital Budget: $1 million dedicated in the capital budget to support child care quality.
- 2022 thread Endorsed Bills
- HB149 – Child Care Provider Collective Bargaining and Child Care Trust Fund
- April 26: Passed by the Alaska House of Representatives
- Referred to the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee with a secondary referral to Senate Finance
- Failed to get a hearing in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee before the legislative session ended on May 18, 2022
- For more information about this proposed bill, watch Thursdays with thread: Conversation with Zack Fields, HB149 Part 2 here
- HB149 – Child Care Provider Collective Bargaining and Child Care Trust Fund
- 2022 Early Childhood Proposed Bills
- Proposed legislation related to Pre-K
- HB114 – Alaska Reads Act – This legislation creates four new programs: a department-level reading program, a district-level reading intervention program, a voluntary pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) and Parents as Teachers program, and a virtual education consortium.
- September: The State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) is preparing for the implementation of the law, most of which takes effect on July 1, 2023. While work is being done to implement all four parts of the legislation, thread is focusing on the early education components and is advocating for the regulations governing publicly-funded pre-kindergarten component allow for the inclusion of high-quality, licensed child care providers (a mixed delivery system). Read an update here.
- July: Signed into law by the Governor.
- May 18: Alaska House of Representatives concurred with the Alaska Senate amended version. The Alaska Reads Act includes universal, voluntary Pre-K, a reading intervention program, and an increase to the base student allocation (BSA).
- HB114 – Alaska Reads Act – This legislation creates four new programs: a department-level reading program, a district-level reading intervention program, a voluntary pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) and Parents as Teachers program, and a virtual education consortium.
- Proposed legislation impacting child care workforce
- SB10 – Free, Reduced Tuition for Essential Workers (including child care workers)
- Passed the Alaska State Senate on May 18, 2021.
- Referred to the House Education and House Finance Committees.
- Passed House Education on February 28, 2022. House Finance did not take action on the bill before the legislative session ended on May 18, 2022.
- SB10 – Free, Reduced Tuition for Essential Workers (including child care workers)
- Proposed legislation related to employers & child care
- HB121 – Education Tax Credit, Employer Child Care Cost
- Referred to House Labor and Commerce with a secondary referral to House Finance.
- Passed the House Labor and Commerce Committee on March 25, 2021.
- Failed to get a hearing in House Finance before the legislative session ended on May 18, 2022.
- HB121 – Education Tax Credit, Employer Child Care Cost
- Proposed legislation related to Pre-K
- 2021 Legislation
- Alaska Reads Act passed. The legislation created four new programs:
- a department-level reading program
- a district-level reading intervention program
- a voluntary pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) and Parents as Teachers program
- a virtual education consortium
- Alaska Reads Act passed. The legislation created four new programs:
Local
- Municipality of Anchorage – Proposition 13 Passed
- With the approval of Proposition 13 in April 2020, authorizing a 5% sales tax on the retail sales of alcoholic beverages, the city made a long-term commitment to the well-being of future generations in Anchorage. This includes dedicated funding for early childhood.
- City and Borough of Juneau
- Established Assembly Childcare Committee in 2018
- Best Starts for Juneau’s Kids — Supported quality improvement incentives for child care.
- HEARTS Program – A salary incentive directly to child care and pre-school teachers for taking training classes.
- KinderReady expansion — Assembly provided funding to the Juneau School District to expand KinderReady, a small pre-school program conducted in some of the elementary schools.