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Being a parent and providing for is a lot of work for rural paren Subsistence harvest needs can be challenged by a lack of q child care, especially during seasonal activ The elementary age students, I think, really appreciate the p and families opportunities for the kids to do things.

And with school being out in the is a really nice time to make sure these events are avail A program aimed at providing learning materials for young chi supports training for parents and quality care for kids.

What else is needed for rural ch We'll discuss it right now on Al INSIGHT.

Good evening.

Tonight, we'll learn about an Al school district's move to a cale based on the seasonal needs for subsistence hunting and gath and the education and connection to family that it aims to provid We'll hear about materials available through PBS and Alaska Public Media to help families access quality educational activ And we'll take a deeper look at the challenges in provid affordable child care in rural A But before we get to that discus are some of the top stories of t from Alaska Public Media's collaborative statewide News Net Hundreds of students in the Matanuska Susitna borough school district walked out of class Tue morning to protest recent action by the local school board, including limiting participation of the student representative on and the removal of books from library shelves for review.

According to organizers, seven schools saw walkouts, at least three of which included more than 100 students.

Organizers also say the protests intentionally held just a week before the local Mat-Su election which includes two school board No particular candidates were the focus of the protests.

Juneau's South Seward Street has been officially renamed Heri The sign was changed on Wednesda after the General Assembly unanimously agreed to s last May.

Seward Street's namesake, Willia was the Secretary of state when bought Unceded Alaska native land from Russia.

According to Sealaska Heritage I President Rosita Worl, Seward referred to indigenous pe as uncivilized and savages.

Worl, who initially proposed the said it's one step in reclaiming Alaska Senator U.S.

Senator Dan Sullivan launched a dramatic political ma against a fellow Republican on the Senate floor on Wednesday as he tried to break Senator Tommy Tuberville Hold on.

Hundreds of military promotions that require unanimous Senate co Since February, Senator Tubervil has singlehandedly blocked 376 promotions, citing his oppos to a Department of Defense polic he opposes related to abortion a Sullivan, who also opposes the p says Tuberville is doing damage to the military and punishing of who have nothing to do with the Despite the attempt from Sulliva and several other Republicans, T is blocking a promotions remains You can find the full versions o and many more stories on our web Alaska Public dot org or by down the Alaska Public Media app on y Now on to our discussion for thi There's a lack of quality child care across our state, but especially so in rural Alask Not to toot our own horn too muc we'd like to tell you about the Alaska Public Media's Education and our PBS partners provide for learning activities for family and child care provid Earlier this year, as part of that progr three communities in southeast Alaska hosted family workshops and summer camps focused on social and emotional Alaska Public Media's Valerie Lake brings us the story It's midsummer in Hoonah, Alaska and school is out for the year at low tide.

Amelia Wilson fires up her new s to check her neighbors crab pots We have a saying that if the tid the table is set.

All seasons are busy for people who depend on subsist summer is no exception.

Very busy in the summers.

And lots to do for Hoonah's youngest residents.

Some subsistence activities won't be safe for them to learn until they're a little older.

Many families rely on places like community centers and Boys and Girls Clubs for safe, inexpensive childcare.

Our teenagers are really busy.

Most of them are working and inv even in the school year during a lot of extracurricular and the elementary age students, I think, really appreciate the p and families opportunities for the kids to do things they j Put in your hand.

For Gina Wooten.

Growing up in Kake Alaska, the Boys and Girls Club was a re from an unpredictable home life.

They had very nutritious food for us to eat.

Lots of fun activities and staff were very engaging.

And that's what I want to be for the youth here.

We will give you guys one book for each family.

I want them to know that I'm here for them, not only just as a staff member, but if they lead the talk, you guys will be coming up with what kind of problems Mars will Gina and her coworker Zach are responsible for supervi sometimes dozens of kids at this Boys and Girls Club.

But resources and professional training are li That's why Kake and Hoonah were to take part in a PBS educational experience called Tr the Trainer.

You guys have some good stories.

It was a wonderful opportunity to share PBS's curriculum with t and provide resources that then they can in turn use to share with families and c in their communities.

The program emphasizes the importance of social and emotional learning for parents and guardia so they can better navigate emotional moments with their chi The hope is that these lessons c shared with others in the commun We did a lot of talking with par about being aware of your own state of mind and how to just be in charge of that in order to move forward to be a good par There are some universal truths of being a parent.

It's hard.

It's really busy.

It's nonstop.

You're always on d And so what can I do to just bre little bit and have some fun wit And that's what it's designed to While the parents and caregivers received professional training in Alaska Public Media provided childcare and educational activi connected to PBS kids shows.

Third place goes to Team E After the workshops, each community keeps the educational books and games so they can cont hosting camps and workshops on their own into the future.

In southeast Alaska, I'm Valerie Joining me tonight from Tuluksak is Kary DelSignore.

Kary is the principal and special education director for the Tuluksak School.

And from Nome, Bridie Trainor is Bridie is the childcare director for Kawarek the nonprofit tribal organization in the Berin region.

Thanks, both of you for being with us this evening.

Thank you.

Kary, I want to start We know how important childcare not just a place to park kids, but for emotional well-being and an introduction to structured le It's difficult everywhere or any but in very small communities, like Tuluksak What are the other layers of con and what is the childcare situat currently?

You have under 300 people in you community, is that right?

We have a small community and one of the big challenges we is that the housing does not hav water or sewer.

Most of the houses are multi-generational houses that sometimes have ten, 15 peop living in them.

And there are not a lot of place really conducive to offering day even if it's within the home from daycares.

Can't be set up.

There just doesn't.

There's no place to provide safe other than at the school, which is one of the only buildin in the village with running water and sewer and to reliable electricity.

Our older kids are often called on to take care of youngs And how how does that create har for them?

We do.

We often have parents call up an we have some of our high schoole go home and watch the babies if they've got to go out.

We have one laundromat in town, and if someone's name comes up, a lot of times people need daycare for those in while they go and take care of d laundry or other chores.

And so, yes, that does create a And how has adapting a new type of school calendar based on subsistence harvesting and those rhythms, how has that that helped in this regard?

We've seen an increase in our at That's helped a lot.

We want to honor families, need and subsistence hunt and gather.

And in our communities, they even take their young child out to the fish camps.

And that was something where we our students just weren't attending school.

And so by changing our calendar to meet the needs of our communi and the activities that they tak in, our attendance has come up.

We've also found that we have mo willing to come into the school and share the activities that they've taken part in.

We really look for that that full community educator mod for our schools and set the subs calendars then really helpful wi That hasn't solved all of the pr with childcare, though, of cours But have you heard from other school districts?

Are they interested in consideri adopting what you've put in plac We do, and we need to be very tr This really Lake and Penn School came up with this several years and we looked at it and said, This is a model that might work And since we've put this in plac we have been contacted by multip districts who said, you know, we're facing the same issues where families are needing to get their nets ready in the spring to get ready for fishing season or they're needing to finish up moose hunting.

So, yes.

Bridie, I want to turn to you no Thank you for your patience.

Describe for us the difficulty f childcare providers in getting l What could help lower barriers t Well, I think just the facilities, the construction, plumbing, heating, the administr barriers associated with just go through the process to become li Are are are some of the main iss So just being more practical and and finding ways to meet providers where they're know, it's not always the career People want to go through the tr that's required.

It may be a new parent who wants to be home with a kid and bring new children into the So just to look where childcare naturally happens and work with what's there.

You've said broadly that you think government needs to be involved in helping to support child care Talk about why it's so difficult for the private sector to make t in a way that's affordable.

Well, it's largely a private sector business model because, meaning parents and bus provide most of the funding.

But the true cost of care is mor either parents or businesses can There's more room for private pa but it really needs to be a lot more public investment to It's just too expensive for fami You have salary and benefits, utilities, food facilities, main insurance supplies.

Providers haven't been charging the true cost of care to parents because they know they can't aff And in rural Alaska, that that i you know, much higher than on the road sys And so one way to reduce the cost would be to have more a options for licensed care.

Looking at the Kawarek website, the organization is trying to fi substitute Head Start teachers.

People with a bachelor's degree can make up to $62 an hou With a high school diploma, they can make nearly $38 an hour That's not a low rate.

Is it still hard to fill these p even with those good wages being Those are temporary kind of emergency wages.

And a lot of administrators are themselves in the classroom happ but childcare is a tough job.

So we really need to support providers.

And in having a meaningful wage, I think, you know, research has that people are back to work at pre-COVID levels.

You know, there are a lot more e options now.

So childcare needs to be competitiv in order to attract providers.

Are you still struggling to fill those positions?

Yes, a lot of sites are not at c because they don't have enough p Meaning if they did have more, more financial support, they would be able to increase w and benefits and paid time off and then you could have more pro and then you could open more cla and have more room for parents, more options.

Kary, turning back If a Tuluksak resident wants to be a care provider.

What is that process?

What funding is available to sup and how would that work?

Currently, what we're trying to is partner with ABCP here and use them to help provide funding for our parents.

We've asked that parents try to work with the community and the tribe to find someone in the community who's willing to be the care pro And if the parents agree with th they can agree to hire that pers Work with ABCP, who will in turn pay for that ch We're just looking for any alter We realize that most of our our staff and our students who have children that they need for while they finish high schoo cannot afford traditional daycar We don't have that available in the village.

And so really, we're looking for partnerships and alternatives, which is providing space here in our school district, in our c where we can support that with the help of partnerships li And so talk a little more about You had said that the school bui is the only building with running piped water and sew If you could find someone in the that would be willing to train into that care provider Is there enough room at the scho to even facilitate that?

We are fortunate and what we wer at is, is a non-licensed program which you only can have three or four kids in that program.

And we're just looking at we know there's a need and we're not completely equippe or able to fund it currently.

But through forming those partne we do hope that we can fund it with ACP.

But yes, we do currently have additional and are willing to do whatever w because we know that that benefits our students and our community and our our paraprofessionals who need t in order to continue working beyond the subsistence calendar that you've adopted for the school district.

How else do you support families with young children during subsistence hunting and gathering seasons?

We have summer fish camp, and so during that fish camp we take children, and it's usually during the time that the fish are running.

And so for those two weeks, pare can drop off their children and we do a full education progr We even take the kids out and teach them how to fish, how to cut fish, how to catch fi We teach them about boating, saf water safety.

And so that does allow parents t and take care of some of the thi that they need to do to catch fo with their families and and read That same question to you, How how do you help families that want to get out during subs those crucial seasons with child Are there other programs?

Well, we are able the tribes are able childcare during subsistence, the same as as for employment.

And I think subsistence can be misleading in that.

It sounds like it's a secondary way of living rather than primar So it's important we understand it's important to support families in that way And Brady, in a earlier intervie you said there needs to be a more practical approach to chi What did you mean about that by Well, it's a lot to go through.

The administrative process of becoming licensed and in rural outside the hub communities, there's generally no licensed care available because it's it's a it's a proce And I think it's been well documented in the news and that it's it's difficult to get through that administrati portion.

So it's there are not a lot of p that want to take that on and so we're not seeing child ca being offered in the way that, y it could be if it were more accessible there if, you know, maybe tribes were of a point of contact for potential licensing.

And would you like to see that?

Would you like to see a differen maybe for rural Alaska, where tr are in charge of licensing facil in their communities?

I think that's definitely something to explore.

I think that could open up child for a lot of children, of famili tribally enrolled or not, you know, in most every communit What are the income eligibility requirements for fam to get childcare assistance, and does it differ for rural fam I'd say specifically it depends on the size of the fa but there is one income scale across the state.

So one income threshold to be eligible to receive childcare assistance.

And it's, you know, the different cost of living acr the state is well documented.

So there really needs to be an income scale that makes areas with higher inc because of cost of living eligib to receive state assistance in order to support providers an And we're just we see very few f eligible to receive state care at this ti That does seem like an area that needs to be looked at and adjusted potentially.

Carrie, turning to you, you mentioned that many parents and that that's another layer of difficulty in finding care pr Talk about those particular chal Right.

We have a number of students that are raising their own stude trying to complete their high sc diploma and without any sort of We've tried to work out flexible schedules for them.

We've allowed them to bring their little ones into building and provide a safe plac where they can work independentl and have their children with the really the answer is that they need to to concentrate on their studies and have a safe, reliable daycare situation for their chil so that they can complete their It's definitely a struggle and we're really proud of them for coming and trying, and that's why we're working so to try to partner and find solutions to the daycar problem within our community.

We've talked about the availability of space or running water, the licensing requirements and income eligibility.

What are some other challenges for both of you?

And Kari, we'll start with you t that are sort of in the rural se that urban Alaskans don't aren't challenged by?

Well, I think just I mean, the lack of care.

There are no options if you live in Anchorage or Fair There are going to be options.

There are no options here curren unless you have family and not everyone has family that or willing to watch their childr And so we have to look at other to serve those needs.

And so that's definitely one we're looking at.

Also, the low pay.

Our parents don't make a lot of Our students have no money.

And those people that we're look to partner with through ABC, they're still not making very mu And so people really have to wei do I want to go into the child care field and do this or do I want to work at the store and maybe make $5 more in our.

It's definitely a concern.

Bridey, how about for you beyond space and licensing and the things that we've already discussed, ar other challenges that you find t other Alaskans may not be dealin Well, I think the general health and s requirements that we need to use through the state state determined requirements just don A lot of smaller communities and tribes are able to be more flexible with that through their federal tribal dol and provide training and health standards that meet those needs.

But that's just a degree of fund that needs more support.

We need state support as well, and we need increased investment as a whole in order to support p And Brady Quirk has two licensed centers i You said overall about a 100 chi participate there.

Tell us about what you have put together in your re and how much need there still is beyond what you've been able to Of the about 1100 children in th under six.

About 250 children receiving care through Head Star Either a licensed provider or tr approved relative provider in th We have a pretty expansive progr so we may not be a good example what, what some of the needs are We have one of only two early he child care partnerships in the state to provide full day care for infants and to And that really takes a lot of w to balance that funding and to keep the doors open.

We have the licensed care center After the Head Start date for 3 to 5 year olds and during the su there's head starts in 11 of the And throughout the region.

But we've you know, we've looked to tribally approve relative providers and tribally license exempt providers as a way to access care and just to be more practical in and where that it happens.

Right now we have about 40, 40 relative providers in the region five in Nome, but they are only able to care f or two children, no more than fo All right.

Well, the time has gone by so qu Thank you both so much for being this evening and for the work you're doing on behalf of children in rural Alas Thank you.

Quality child care is an investm in the future for all of us.

Children who have a strong found of early education, good nutrition and healthy routi are more likely to thrive in sch and contribute to their families community and state.

That's it for this edition of Al INSIGHT.

Visit our website Alaska public that org for breaking news and r from our partner stations across the state.

While you're there, sign up for our free daily Digest so you won't miss any of Alaska' top stories of the day.

Thanks for joining us this eveni I'm Laurie Townsend.

Good night.