Governor Mike Dunleavy issued Administrative Order 346 on April 6, 2023, establishing the Alaska Task Force on Child Care (Task Force) within the Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council (AECCC).  The purpose of the Task Force is to develop a plan to improve availability and affordability of quality child care throughout Alaska. The Task Force will consult existing resources, including strategic plans and needs assessments on child care, to develop specific policy recommendations for the Governor with the goal of increasing access to high-quality and inclusive child care for Alaskan families. The three major components of a child care system are ​affordability, accessibility, and quality – none of which can be achieved without a well-compensated child care workforce. It is essential for the state to receive input from employers, nonprofit organizations, child care providers, tribal entities, and elected officials to comprehensively address child care challenges statewide.

All voting members are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The Governor shall select a Chair and Vice Chair from the members. The Governor’s Task Force on Child Care will consist of eleven voting members, two ex-officio members, and one advisory member as follows:

Three voting members who are State of Alaska officials:

• Department of Health Commissioner, or the Commissioner’s designee.
• Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner, or the Commissioner’s designee.
• Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner, or the Commissioner’s designee.

Eight voting members, who are not state officials, as follows:

• One representative of a nonprofit that supports licensed child care programs.
• One representative of a licensed child care program.
• One representative of a faith-based or community-based child care program (including in-home programs).
• One representative of tribal child care program.
  
• One representative of a military child care program.
• One representative of a statewide organization representing business communities throughout Alaska.
• One representative who is a local government official with experience developing local/community-based solutions to child care issues.
• One representative of the general public who is a parent with experience navigating Alaska’s child care system.

Ex-Officio members:

• One member of the Alaska State Senate, appointed by the Senate President, and one member of the Alaska House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House.

Additionally, a representative from the Alaska Child Care Program Office shall serve as an advisor to the Task Force. The Commissioner of Health shall designate the representative from the Child Care Program Office.

For additional information, visit State of Alaska, Task Force on Child Care​.