(Associated Press)

I recently wrote in this paper to ask our legislative leaders to choose to invest in our children, our families and our workforce. I asked them to keep Alaska’s promise to families across the state and support early childhood educators and kids. That meant reinstating the $14 million in childcare funding in the state budget, despite a challenging fiscal situation and a skinny budget.

After making that request, I went to my son’s graduation from pre-K, where they sang “please and thank you, please and thank you, these are the nice words that we can say”. This was an example of the important social-emotional learning that they worked on every day, in addition to learning phonics and counting skills to prepare them for kindergarten. It was a reminder that when people step up, we should say thank you.

Thank you to our leaders in Juneau for keeping their promise to support our beleaguered childcare sector. It will make a real difference for families across the state.

Thank you to our leaders in Juneau who showed that investing in kids is bipartisan. There are too many to include in this letter, but you made hard choices to support kids, and it matters — and you and your constituents know who you are, and we appreciate it.

Thank you to our leaders who have shown that Alaska can invest in its children, its families and our future.

I have several friends who have welcomed new children into their families in the last few weeks (congratulations!). They are dual-income families made up of business leaders, teachers and community members who can participate fully in Alaska’s economy because they will have access to quality childcare where they can trust that their kids will be safe.

[Letter: The erosion of education and child care is pushing Alaska families out]

I want to thank our leaders in Juneau who are making investments in making sure that access extends to more families — that more mothers and fathers can work if they choose, and more kids have access to quality care that prepares them for a lifetime of learning. This funding will enable more families to have access to the dignity of work without sacrificing the safety of their children.

We know that a child’s brain grows most rapidly in their first 5 years of life. We know that kids who show up to kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to excel at reading, writing and math. We know that kids who have quality, safe care — whether with a family member, home-based care, faith-based care or center-based care — have a head start that sets them on a path to success.

In a time when our state’s childcare providers are struggling with an economic model that cannot simultaneously provide care that is affordable to all families in need of care while also paying the wages that caregivers and teachers deserve, this funding is a lifeline.

I am thankful that Gov. Dunleavy has been a leading voice and has pushed the childcare issue to the forefront. The funding approved by the legislature is consistent with the recommendations of his Childcare Task Force and will make real progress on addressing the challenges related to raising a family today that he mentioned in his 2023 State of the State Address. He is right — successful policy should reduce the cost of living and create jobs. This funding achieves those goals and enables thousands of Alaskans to go to work every day, knowing their kids are on the path to success.

Kevin Berry is a father of three, economist, and incoming board president at thread, a statewide organization that works to improve child development and early childhood education outcomes in Alaska.

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