Alaska
Alaska child care advocates want subsidies and tax credits caught in legal limbo — and more
JUNEAU — Advocates want the Alaska Legislature to again pass a child care measure that is being challenged in court, along with additional help for the beleaguered sector.
Legislators last year approved Senate Bill 189, which included new state tax credits for certain corporations that contribute to child care or offer their employees child care, alongside an increase to the state’s existing assistance payments for families.
SB 189 was combined with several different measures in the final hectic hours of last year’s legislative session. Gov. Mike Dunleavy allowed the bill to pass into law without his signature in September.
But the measure has since faced a legal challenge. Former Wasilla Republican Rep. David Eastman sued the state in November, arguing that the combined bill violated the Alaska Constitution’s “single-subject rule,” which requires that provisions adopted in a single bill all relate to one topic.
State senators have recently introduced measures that were identical to those approved by the Legislature last year. Those measures are intended to avoid disruptions if a court strikes down SB 189 as unconstitutional, lawmakers said.
Anchorage Reps. Zack Fields, a Democrat, and Julie Coulombe, a Republican, said the Legislature should pass the same child care provisions as last year.
“Just do the safe thing. Effectively nullify the lawsuit and maintain these important programs,” said Fields, co-chair of the House Labor and Commerce Committee.
Child care providers and workers have long struggled with low wages, high turnover and meager benefits. Parents have complained of long waitlists and soaring costs at child care centers.
The Alaska Chamber of Commerce in recent years has advocated for reforms to expand child care access across the state.
Kati Capozzi, president and CEO of the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, said full-time child care for an infant averages $21,000 per year in Alaska.
She said a recent statewide chamber survey showed that 19% of parents missed work last year, and 12% of parents chose not to work, due to a lack of affordable and accessible childcare.
“We have thousands of able-bodied, ready-to-work Alaskans that are sitting on the sidelines due to this crisis,” she told lawmakers last week.
Capozzi said some companies have “expressed serious interest” in using tax credits, but that was stalled by the lawsuit. She urged lawmakers to pass the same child care legislation as last year without changes.
“Let’s just get that through and then focus on the other pieces,” she said.
Another consequence of rushing to pass Senate Bill 189 is that it did not include a formal estimate of costs for child care subsidies. As a result, the higher assistance payments for families have not been paid yet, said Alex Huseman, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Health.
Huseman said that the cost estimate was included in Dunleavy’s budget proposal for the fiscal year that starts July 1. If lawmakers approve that as part of the budget this year, the expanded subsidies will start being paid, she said.
Fields said those subsidies for low-income families are essential.
Alongside subsidies and tax credits, legislators for the past two years have approved $7.5 million in one-time grants for child care providers. Advocates say that grant funding should be increased and made permanent.
Thread Alaska, a statewide child care advocacy organization, wants the Legislature to approve $13 million this year for providers and $8.5 million to support early educators.
Robert Barr, Juneau’s deputy city manager and a thread board member, said those grants would be a starting point to help stabilize and grow the sector. But he also acknowledged the challenges facing lawmakers from the state’s strained finances.
Dunleavy established a task force in 2023 to study child care and how to stabilize the sector. The task force concluded its work late last year and made 56 recommendations. Those include subsidies for families and help for providers to navigate a complex bureaucratic process.
Coulombe, who served on the task force, opposed using state funds to subsidize child care providers’ operating expenses. She said uncertainty surrounding state funding and federal grants under President Donald Trump made that risky for business owners.
“I want them to be thriving businesses. I don’t want them to rely on the state for money every two seconds,” she said Tuesday.
Advocates consider Juneau as the gold standard for municipal support of child care. Anchorage and other Alaska communities are establishing their own local subsidy programs for providers.
Blue Shibler, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Association for the Education of Young Children, is advocating for the state to establish a pooled fund to match local government support. She said that would help providers enroll more kids in child care.
“It’s clear to me that the biggest part of the problem, especially in terms of how it’s impacting the economy, is the supply side,” she said.
Barr calculated that it would cost roughly $47 million per year to create a statewide version of Juneau’s subsidy program for providers. He has advocated for an all-in approach for child care funding from local, state and federal sources.
“The state alone isn’t going to solve it. Local governments alone aren’t going to solve the challenge that we’re facing in the sector,” Barr said.
Veteran musher Jessie Holmes (bib # 7 ), of Brushkana, Alaska was the first musher to reach the McGrath checkpoint at 8:03 p.m. today with 16 dogs in harness, winning the Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award.
First presented in 2019 and given to the first musher to reach the McGrath checkpoint, this award is presented by Lead Dog partner, Alaska Air Transit. First introduced in 2019, this award honors the first musher to arrive at the McGrath Checkpoint. The McGrath community shares deep ties to the Iditarod, and the award reflects that connection, featuring beaver fur mushers mitts with Athabaskan beadwork on moose hide, handcrafted by Loretta Maillelle of McGrath, along with a beaver fur hat made by Rosalie Egrass of McGrath. The award was presented to Holmes by Jessica Beans-Vaeao, Charter Coordinator for Alaska Air Transit
“Our team is excited to present this Spirit of Iditarod award in McGrath again this year. The Beaded Moose Hide and Beaver Mitts were made by Loretta Maillelle of McGrath, and the hand sewn Beaver Hat was made by Rosalie Egrass of McGrath. Rosalie Egrass was able to fly home on our plane that took our crew and the award to McGrath, which made for a pretty special trip! We are proud to be providing service to McGrath, and feel that all local Air Carriers represent the spirit of Iditarod throughout Alaska on a daily basis. It is great to be a part of the air carriers that service the state with essential supplies and transportation, and to be a part of the Iditarod in a meaningful way,” said Josie Owen, owner of Alaska Air Transit.
This is Alaska Air Transit’s eighth year sponsoring the Iditarod and seventh year presenting the Spirit of Iditarod Award. Alaska Air Transit offers crucial flight support statewide via air charter and provides scheduled service to the Upper Kuskokwim communities of Nikolai, McGrath, Takotna and Tatalina as well as the Prince William Sound communities of Tatitlek and Chenega.
The 2026 Alaska high school girls basketball state championships begin this week, and High School On SI has brackets for all four classifications.
The brackets will be updated with scores and matchups throughout the week.
All four classifications will play their state championship games at Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.
The 1A and 2A championships run March 11-14. Classes 3A and 4A play the following week, March 18-21.
Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 State Championship Brackets, Matchups, Schedule – March 10
3/11 – Shaktoolik (1) vs. Arlicaq (16)
3/11 – Kake (8) vs. Tri-Valley (9)
3/11 – Fort Yukon (4) vs. Andreafski (13)
3/11 – Sand Point (5) vs. Napaaqutgmiut (12)
3/11 – Scammon Bay (2) vs. Nunamiut (15)
3/11 – Akiuk Memorial (7) vs. Newhalen (10)
3/11 – Davis-Romoth (3) vs. Cook Inlet Academy (14)
3/11 – Hoonah (6) vs. Shishmaref (11)
3/12 – Seward (1) vs. Chevak (8)
3/12 – Metlakatla (4) vs. Cordova (5)
3/12 – Craig (2) vs. Susitna Valley (7)
3/12 – Glennallen (3) vs. Degnan (6)
3/18 – Barrow (1) vs. Kotzebue (8)
3/18 – Grace Christian (4) vs. Galena (5)
3/18 – Monroe Catholic (2) vs. Delta (7)
3/18 – Mt. Edgecumbe (3) vs. Kenai Central (6)
3/18 – Mountain City Christian Academy (1) vs. North Pole (8)
3/18 – Colony (4) vs. West (5)
3/18 – Bartlett (2) vs. Juneau-Douglas (7)
3/18 – Wasilla (3) vs. Service (6)
More Coverage from High School On SI
This is the Alaska Wall Tent by the Alaska Gear Company, each one is made in the United States from Sunforger 13oz DLX, a double-filled, pre-shrunk, marine-grade canvas ideal for longterm outdoor use.
The Alaska Wall Tent comes in an array of sizes and versions, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your individual use-case. They’re all individually made in Alaska, and perhaps even more importantly, they’re all tested extensively to be able to handle local conditions.
This is the Alaska Wall Tent by the Alaska Gear Company, each one is made in the United States from Sunforger 13oz DLX, a double-filled, pre-shrunk, marine-grade canvas ideal for longterm outdoor use.
History Speedrun: The Alaska Gear Company
The Alaska Gear Company was formerly known as Airframes Alaska, it’s an aviation and outdoor equipment supplier and manufacturer headquartered in Palmer, Alaska. The company is led by majority owner Sean McLaughlin, who bought the original bush airplane parts business when it had just two employees and $100,000 in annual revenue. McLaughlin has since grown it to approximately 100 employees and $20 million in annual sales.
The company can trace its early roots to a licensed maker of Piper PA-18 Super Cub fuselages at Birchwood Airport. Through a series of acquisitions, including Reeve Air Motive (an aircraft parts retailer operating out of Anchorage’s Merrill Field since 1950, Alaska Tent & Tarp, and Northern Sled Works, the company grew well beyond aviation into outdoor recreation and cold-weather gear.
That diversification ultimately drove the rebrand from Airframes Alaska to Alaska Gear Company in late 2023, as the old name no longer conveyed the full scope of what the company produces and sells.
The Alaska Gear Company now operates out of three locations – a 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Palmer, a production facility in Fairbanks, and a retail store with an in-house sewing workshop at Merrill Field in Anchorage.
Its product lines span two major categories. On the aviation side, the company is best known for its hand-built Alaskan Bushwheel tundra tires, FAA-approved titanium landing gear, Super Cub fuselage modifications, and a wide range of bush plane parts. On the outdoor side, it manufactures Arctic Oven hot tents, canvas wall tents, custom freight and pulk sleds, and a modernized version of the iconic military bunny boot designed for extreme cold weather conditions.
More recently in 2024, the Alaska Gear Company was named “Made in Alaska Manufacturer of the Year” by the Alaska Department of Commerce.
The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company
The Alaska Canvas Wall Tent is a handmade-in-Alaska canvas tent made from 13oz Sunforger DLX double-filled, preshrunk, marine-grade cotton canvas that’s treated to resist fire, water, and mildew while still remaining breathable.
It comes in four sizes, including 8×10, 10×12, 12×14, and 14×16 feet, all with 5-foot wall heights, and it’s available either unframed (starting at $1,295) or with a frame (starting at $2,300). The unframed version can be constructed in the field using lengths of wood sourced from the area, reducing the initial pack weight – this is crucial for trips into the wilderness by bush plane where every pound of weight is critical.
It comes in four sizes, including 8×10, 10×12, 12×14, and 14×16 feet, all with 5-foot wall heights, and it’s available either unframed (starting at $1,295) or with a frame (starting at $2,300). The unframed version can be constructed in the field using lengths of wood sourced from the area, reducing the initial pack weight – this is crucial for trips into the wilderness by bush plane where every pound of weight is critical.
All tents include a 4.5 inch oval stove jack for use with wood or propane stoves, as well as a 56 inch triangular rear window with insect screening, an 18oz vinyl sod cloth around the base to block drafts and moisture, ridgepole openings at both ends, rope-reinforced eaves, brass grommets, overlapping door flaps with ties, a heavy-duty zippered door, and 100 feet of sisal rope for tie-downs.
The tents are now available to buy direct from the Alaska Gear Company here, and at the time of writing they have stock ready to ship out immediately.
Images courtesy of the Alaska Gear Company
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
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