State Profile | Alaska

The Afterschool Investments project has developed profiles for each state to provide a snapshot of the "state of afterschool," as well as an opportunity to compare afterschool activities across the country. This profile provides key data and descriptions of the afterschool landscape, which includes a range of out-of-school time programming that can occur before and after school, on weekends, and during summer months. It is designed to serve as a resource for policymakers, administrators, and providers.

• Quick Facts
• Statewide Initiatives
• Notable Local Initiatives
• Statewide Organizations
• Additional Resources
• Notes and Sources

Quick Facts

Demographics

For more demographic information, visit http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/statepro/index.html

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

CCDF Administrative Overview

Settings

Where CCDF-Subsidy school age-children are served:

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool

"Resource and referral and school-age" targeted funds:
The funds may be used to provide specialized training to increase the ability of programs to offer safe and healthy care that meets the needs of school-age children.  The funds may be used to provide on-site consultations and training related to the School Age Child Care Environmental Rating Scale (SACERS), on-site training to cover CDA competency areas, and on-site consultations, training, CDA advising and travel grants for rural providers.  The funds may be used to support the newly created school-age certificate for practitioners and administrators offered by the state university and also to develop distance learning modules for school-age child care.  In addition, the funds may be used to implement Second Step, a social emotional program to reduce violence.

Other quality activities:
The funds may be used for comprehensive consumer education, grants or loans to providers to assist in meeting state and local standards, and to monitor licensing and regulatory requirements.  They can also be used for professional development, improving childcare providers’ salaries, activities promoting inclusive childcare, youth focused health programs, and activities which increase parental choice.

Provider Reimbursement Rates

Tiered Reimbursement Rate System:
Alaska has a differentiated rate scale that pays licensed providers more than approved and in-home providers.  Alaska also has a parent co-pay system whereby the parent has the same co-pay amount regardless of the type of care they choose. The cost of care for families with incomes below 200% of the Federal poverty level for Alaska does not exceed 10% of their gross income.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

Program Licensing Policies

Systems/Quality Supports

21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)

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Statewide Initiatives

• System of Early Education Development (SEED) Program. The Alaska System for Early Education Development (SEED) project and the Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, through federal targeted funds and the Child Care and Development Fund, provide financial stipends to individuals who work in school-age child care programs. Stipends can be used for college credits, work toward a Child Development Associate credential, school-age certification, and attendance at the Alaska School Age Care Alliance Conference.
  
  For more information, see http://seed.alaska.edu/index.html

• School-Age Child Care Program Support. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services provides grants to the three Alaska Child Care Resource and Referral agencies to provide support to school-age child care programs in their regions. These funds are used to assist programs in achieving school-age accreditation, purchasing school-age child care materials for libraries, paying for national speakers to present at conferences, ensuring that monthly training by the agencies includes workshops specific to school-age care, and providing on-site program support and program ratings by school-age care consultants.
• Communities In Schools-Alaska, Inc. (CIS Alaska). CIS Alaska serves to mobilize and connect resources with schools. We work to help increase graduation rates and decrease drop out rates through removing barriers to education for our youth.  CIS Alaska believes that every child needs and deserves these "Five Basics": a  one-to-one relationship with a caring adult; a safe place to learn and grow; a healthy start and healthy future; a marketable skill to use upon graduation; and a chance to give back to peers and the community. The CIS Alaska state network operates under the leadership of the State Office in Anchorage, and includes six Affiliate programs, located in statewide school districts positioned in: Anchorage, Bethel, Juneau, Kotzebue (pending), Matanuska Susitna Borough and Nome.  CIS-Alaska services include, academic enhancement programs, mentoring, leadership development, life skills training, community service activities, pre- employment development, parental and cultural engagement programs, substance abuse prevention/intervention, violence prevention, school safety, summer and after-school programs and health and human service referrals.  Additionally, career exploration opportunities are available for rural school districts through distance delivery.  This project was supported by Award #2003-SI-FX-K029 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.  
  
  For more information, see www.cisalaska.org

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Notable Local Initiatives

• The Anchorage School-Business Partnership. In 1991, the Anchorage School District and the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce began a program called School Business Partnerships that encouraged area businesses to become involved in their schools.   In 1997, the organization became a separate non-profit corporation. At the end of the first year there were 28 partnerships; today, there are hundreds of partnerships, both large and small. They range from the one-person business involved with a school to large corporations involved with many schools.  Non-profit organizations and government agencies also have partnerships. Since each partnership is unique, there is no cookie cutter model and there are no parameters other than positive educational involvement.  Some partnerships offer activities that take place outside the normal school day, particularly when service-learning is involved.  Others offer mentorships or internships for older students.  SPB also works with groups like Big Brothers/Big Sisters to set up school-based mentoring for elementary students.  
• The Alaska Native Heritage Center High School Program. This program offers Anchorage area Alaska Native and American Indian youth the chance to celebrate their culture and heritage in guided afterschool classes five days a week.  Through classes in dance, technology, and leadership, participants are able to earn school district credits if they complete 120 hours per semester. The center runs the Alaska Native Heritage Center Dance Group, in which students learn traditional Yup’ik Eskimo dancing and perform at local events and festivals.
• CIS Imagination Library. Entertainer Dolly Parton created the Imagination Library, an early literacy and family engagement program, to ensure access to age-appropriate books and inspire parents to read to their children.  In the summer of 2005, the Dollywood Foundation, CIS Alaska, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (U.S. Department of Justice) collaborated with Nome Public Schools to establish the first CIS sponsored Imagination Library program in Alaska. Currently, Juneau CIS, the Association for the Education of Young Children of Southeast Alaska (AEYC) and CIS Alaska have also established an Imagination Library in Juneau.

  For more information on replicating an Imagination Library in your community, visit www.cisalaska.org

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Statewide Organizations

National AfterSchool Association Affiliate:

Alaska Child Care Resource & Referral Network
c/o Child Care Connection, Inc.
P.O. Box 141689
Anchorage, AK 99514
Phone: 907-563-1966
Toll Free: 800-278-3723
Fax: 907-563-1959
Web Site: http://www.childcareconnection.org/
Note: Physical Address: 3350 Commercial Dr., Suite #203 Anchorage, AK 99501 (Located in the Success by Six Building)

National AfterSchool Association Affiliate:

Alaska School Age Alliance (ASACA)
Rabbit Creek Community School
13650 Lake Otis Parkway
Anchorage, AK 99516
Phone: 907-742-5722
Email: ljwade_13@hotmail.com

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Additional Resources

State Child Care Administrators:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/display.cfm?title=ccdf

State TANF Contacts:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/states/tanf-dr.htm

21st Century Community Learning Centers Contacts:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/contacts.html

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Notes and Sources

Demographics

Total population, 2008: Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008, U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of children ages 5-12, 2008: Estimates of the Resident Population by Single-Year of Age and Sex for the United States and States: July 1, 2007, U.S. Census Bureau.

Percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch rate, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Note: Most recent data.

Percent of K-12 students in Title I "schoolwide" schools, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Schools enrolling at least 40 percent of students from poor families are eligible to use Title I funds for schoolwide programs that serve all children in the school. Note: Most recent data.

Child Care and Development Fund

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the largest federal funding source for child care. States receive a funding allocation determined by formula and have broad flexibility to design programs that provide child care subsidies for low-income children under the age of 13 and to enhance the quality of child care for all children. Federal CCDF funding consists of mandatory, matching, and discretionary funds. Federal law requires that states spend at least 4 percent of their CCDF funds as well as additional targeted funds on activities to improve the quality and availability of child care. CCDF administrative data in this and the following sections is from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Care Bureau, as reported by States, unless otherwise noted.

FFY09 CCDF Allocation: Funding allocations are based on appropriation and do not reflect any reallotted or redistributed funds that may occur at a later date.

FFY09 state MOE plus match: In order to receive Federal matching funds, a state must expend Maintenance of Effort funds. Note that this does not capture actual expenditures, only the minimum required to draw down all available federal funds.

FFY09 Tribal CCDF Allocation: Federal CCDF Funds are awarded directly to Federally-recognized Indian Tribes.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Funding: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) appropriates an additional $2 billion in one-time CCDF Discretionary funding available to State, Territory and Tribal Lead Agencies in FY09 as part of the economic stimulus package.

FFY07 total quality expenditures: This data includes FY07 and prior year funds expended for quality from each of the CCDF funding streams (mandatory, matching, and discretionary) and expenditures under targeted funds for infant and toddler, school-age care and resource and referral. This figure provides information obtained from state financial reports submitted for FY07.

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool: Portions of CCDF discretionary funds are targeted specifically for resource and referral and school-age child care activities as well as for quality expansion. (These funds are in addition to the required 4 percent minimum quality expenditure.)

Maximum rate for school-age category: Rates are listed for center-based care, family child care, and license exempt programs; where rates vary by region or county, the rate for the most populated urban area is given.

Standardized monthly school-age rate: Monthly rate for a child, age 8, in care after school during the school year at a center in the most costly district for four hours per day, 20 days per month. Calculated (in the lowest tier of a tiered system) using information from the FY2008-2009 State CCDF Plan, including rate structures, as submitted to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

Separate subsidy rates for different age ranges and Tiered Reimbursement Rate Systems: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Child Care Bureau. Report of State Plans FY2008-2009.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/data/2007/tanf_2007.html.

Program Licensing Policies

States with separate school-age licensing standards and states with specialized requirements for child care centers serving school-age children: National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) and National Association for Regulatory Administration, 2007 Child Care Licensing Study, see: http://www.naralicensing.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=160.

Ratio of children to adults in school-age setting: Data from the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), available at: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov.

School-based, school-age programs exempt from licensing: Research conducted by Afterschool Investments, March 2008.

Systems/Quality Supports

School-age credential: NCCIC, State Professional Development System Credentials for Individuals, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/pd-credentials.html.

Statewide quality rating system: NCCIC, Quality Rating Systems: Definitions and Statewide Systems, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/qrs-defsystems.html.

Statewide afterschool network: National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks, see: http://www.statewideafterschoolnetworks.net/.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is a state formula grant. Funds flow to states based on their share of Title I, Part A funds. Data from the U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers Office and the 21st CCLC Profile and Performance Information Collection System as of July 2009.

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The Child Care Bureau awarded a technical assistance contract to The Finance Project for the Afterschool Investments project. The goals of the Afterschool Investments project include:

• Identifying ways that state and communities are using Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidy and quality dollars to support out-of-school time programs, and sharing these practices and approaches with other states;
• Identifying administrative and implementation issues related to CCDF investments in out-of-school time programs, and providing information and context (about barriers, problems, opportunities) as well as practical tools that will help CCDF administrators make decisions; and
• Identifying other major programs and sectors that are potential partners for CCDF in supporting out-of-school time programs and providing models, strategies, and tools for coordination with other programs and sectors.

Contact Us:

Email:
afterschool@financeproject.org

Web:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/

The Finance Project
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-587-1000
Web: www.financeproject.org

The Afterschool Investments project's State Profiles are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of noteworthy State and local initiatives across the country. Inclusion of an initiative in the Profiles does not represent an endorsement of a particular policy or practice.