Alaska child care providers must file rates under categories the state has not adopted

Child care providers who accept state subsidy payments have to report their rates through Alaska's child care information system by Sept. 30 or risk their standing in the Child Care Assistance Program. They have to calculate those rates using age categories the state has proposed but has not adopted.

The proposal is still open. The Alaska Department of Health published the changes July 30, and written comments are due by 5 pm Sept. 14. The Child Care Program Office says it does not expect an effective date before Nov. 1 and cannot confirm one until adoption is finished. The department may adopt something different from what it proposed, or nothing at all.

The system will accept rate submissions only between Sept. 14 and Sept. 30 — the window opens the same day the comment period closes.

Under the proposed categories, infant care covers birth through 18 months, toddler 19 through 35 months, preschool 36 through 71 months, and school age six through 12 years. Measured against the schedule that has stood since December 2021, infants would stay in the highest-paying band six months longer and preschoolers a year longer, while school age would start a year later and end at 12 instead of 13.

Providers have three steps to take in order: work out their rates under the proposed categories, give written notice to affected families at least 30 days before any change and no later than Sept. 30, and submit the rates with a copy of that family notice attached.

The requirement reaches every provider in the program, whether or not their rates are changing, and covers every age category they serve rather than only the ones that moved. The office warned that failing to file the rates and notify families "may affect a provider's continued participation in CCAP and may impact future payments."

The larger change in the proposal is on the family side. It would lift the income ceiling for assistance from 85 percent of state median income to 105 percent, adding a new eligibility band for households in between.

Providers with questions can reach the Child Care Program Office at (907) 269-4500 or [email protected].