Thank you.
Thank you! We did it. With the passage of Proposition 14 in April 2023, we made a significant and lasting commitment to investing in child care and early education. And Anchorage kids, families, and businesses will be better off because of it.
We are currently working to implement the Anchorage Child Care and Early Education (ACCEE) Fund. We aim to develop a system that meets immediate child care and early education needs in our community while also building a more sustainable system for years to come.
Please read below for more information about the ACCEE Fund.
About
In April of 2023, Proposition 14 – the Anchorage Child Care and Early Education Fund (ACCEE Fund) – passed with strong support from Anchorage voters, by a nearly 12-point margin. Proposition 14 dedicates the Municipality of Anchorage’s marijuana tax revenue to child care and early childhood education. The funds started accumulating in January of 2024, with an estimated five million dollars available annually. The ACCEE Fund can be spent creating access to child care and early education programs; supporting reading programs; supporting child care or early education provider training, professional development, staffing, and/or livable wages; or funding facilities. Funding can be delivered in a variety of ways, including through the issuance of grants or the completion of studies or research related to child care and early education.
Proposition 14 also established an Accountability Board of Child Care and Early Education, to be appointed by the Anchorage Mayor and confirmed by the Anchorage Assembly. The Board will advise the Mayor and Assembly on use of the funds and present a proposed budget to both annually. In the fall of 2024, the Board will propose its first budget. After it is reviewed and finalized by the Mayor and Assembly, funds will start being dispersed in 2025.
To ensure these funds are used effectively, a private and public partnership between the Municipality of Anchorage and the Alaska Children’s Trust was formed to establish an Implementation Team. The Implementation Team will be responsible for analyzing child care and early education best practices, strategies, and trends; communicating and engaging with the public about the ACCEE Fund; participating in listening sessions and meeting with other stakeholders, such as providers, parents, businesses, and community partners; developing a draft three-year strategic plan detailing how best to use these funds immediately as well as how to build a sustainable system for our families; bringing forward an ordinance to the Anchorage Assembly that lays out the Board’s responsibilities, composition, and operations; and supporting the Board as it is seated.
Please see Anchorage Assembly Resolution 2023-404, passed on November 21, 2023, which describes the implementation plan and timeline for the ACCEE Fund, and Anchorage Assembly Information Memorandum 45-2024, dated April 9, 2024, which provides an update of work done by the Implementation Team through March of 2024.