WHEREAS, children are Alaska’s most valuable asset, and high quality care, stimulating learning environments, and positive early experiences help prepare them for a bright and successful future; and
WHEREAS, although parents are the most important caregivers in a child’s development, adults that provide child care services also embrace the role of guiding and nurturing children through the stages of childhood to become confident, healthy, and productive members of society; and
WHEREAS, child care providers play a crucial role in assisting families by helping children meet their cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and literary needs, especially during the formative years from birth until age six, which is the most crucial stage in brain development; and
WHEREAS, providers create safe learning environments, implement teaching strategies that facilitate learning, are knowledgeable about the developmental stages of growing children, and support children throughout their journey into early adulthood; and
WHEREAS, more than half of the 65,000 children under the age of six in Alaska are in licensed or approved child care facilities, and many more receive child care from certified military facilities, tribally licensed facilities, Head Start programs, and legally exempt providers; and
WHEREAS, child care providers are critical to our state’s infrastructure and a vital resource to support working families, and as our state’s future depends on its children, the commitment to providing high quality child care services represents an investment in a better Alaska for all.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike Dunleavy, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, do hereby proclaim May 12, 2023 as:
Child Care Provider Appreciation Day
in Alaska, and encourage all Alaskans to acknowledge and appreciate the immense contributions of child care providers across our state.
Dated: May 12, 2023
