Alaska town prioritizes child care with windfall donation
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In 2021, the town of Seward, Alaska, received $1 million from Norwegian Cruise Lines to aid post-pandemic economic recovery. The city council decided to allocate the funds to address housing and child care, two issues residents identified as crucial. Prior to the donation, Seward was considered a child care desert, with limited options for families.
Casie Warner, a former home visitor, noticed a pattern of parents unable to access medical appointments or extra work shifts due to a lack of child care. This prompted her to seek solutions, but Seward, like many rural communities, struggled with limited child care resources. The donation allowed the town to increase the number of licensed child care slots by 150 percent.
Happy Youth Programs and Educational Resources (HYPER), led by Warner, used half of the donation to train child care providers and offer start-up funds for home-based businesses. They also created retention bonuses for providers and provided subsidies to help families afford care. Josie McClain, a home-based provider, benefited from a $10,000 grant to expand her program and received annual bonuses, allowing her to save money and continue providing care. While Seward has made progress, challenges remain.
Filling low-paying child care positions is difficult, and there’s still a shortage of infant and toddler care. Courtney Bringhurst, a Seward city planner, hopes increased child care access will attract and retain families, strengthening the local economy and schools. The town is also exploring a tourism tax to create a sustainable funding source for child care.
