Affordable Daycare in Alaska
Full-time care at a center costs a median of $296 a week for a baby and $250 for a preschooler in the middle Alaska county (2022). Families who qualify can get help paying through the Child Care Assistance Program (PASS), and the daycares listed here accept it.
- daycares that accept child care assistance listed
- 334
- towns
- 30
- towns have their own affordable daycare page
- 15
- of all Alaska daycares
- 89%
Map of Alaska: each dot is a town with daycares that accept child care assistance, sized by how many are listed
Cost and help paying
What daycare costs in Alaska, and help paying for it
- Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle Alaska county (2022)
- $296
- The median of 8 county medians, from $155 in the lowest county to $469 in the highest.
- Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Alaska county (2022)
- $250
- The median of 8 county medians, from $194 in the lowest county to $360 in the highest.
- Head Start or Early Head Start centers in Alaska
- 15
- Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
Alaska
Largest towns for affordable daycare in Alaska
Programs
Programs in Alaska
Counts come from the state record and what each daycare says it offers. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.
| Program | Listed |
|---|---|
| All daycares | 377 |
| Take infants | 259 |
| Child care centers | 207 |
| Accept subsidy | 334 |
| In-home daycares | 170 |
| Christian & church daycares | 11 |
| Montessori schools | 18 |
| Preschools & pre-K | 333 |
| Early morning daycare | 20 |
| Part-time daycare | 16 |
| After-school care | 372 |
| Head Start | 15 |
The Alaska state record
Alaska Department of Health, Child Care Program Office licenses daycares in Alaska.
- License list
- The state's public list of licensed child care
- Ages served
- The ages on each license
- Inspections
- On the state's own site; each listing links to it
Before you enroll
Paying for daycare in Alaska
- 1
Apply for assistance first
Your state decides who qualifies and how much it pays. Apply through the state's child care assistance office before you choose a daycare.
- 2
Ask about the copayment
Most families pay a share of the cost. Ask the daycare whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much.
- 3
Ask about open subsidy spots
Some daycares cap how many children on assistance they take. Ask whether a spot is open now.
- 4
Check the license record
Open a listing for its state license and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.
Alaska
Cost, inspections and ratios in Alaska
A to Z
All 30 Alaska towns with affordable daycare, A to Z
A1 town
- Anchorage156 accept assistance
B1 town
- Bethel1 accept assistance
D1 town
- Delta Junction1 accept assistance
E1 town
- Eagle River10 accept assistance
F1 town
- Fairbanks38 accept assistance
G1 town
- Girdwood2 accept assistance
H4 towns
J1 town
- Juneau14 accept assistance
K4 towns
N4 towns
- Nikiski1 accept assistance
- Ninilchik1 accept assistance
- Nome2 accept assistance
- North Pole9 accept assistance
P2 towns
- Palmer9 accept assistance
- Petersburg3 accept assistance
S5 towns
T1 town
- Talkeetna1 accept assistance
W1 town
- Wasilla29 accept assistance
No town on this list matches. Check the spelling, or search by ZIP code above.
Nearby
Nearby states
Questions
Questions about affordable daycare in Alaska
How many daycares that accept child care assistance are in Alaska?
334 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 30 Alaska towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.
Which Alaska town has the most daycares that accept child care assistance?
Anchorage, with 156 listed. Next are Fairbanks (38) and Wasilla (29).
How do I apply for child care assistance in Alaska?
Apply through the Child Care Assistance Program (PASS), run by the Alaska Department of Health. It is for eligible families who need child care so parents can work, attend school, or take part in job training programs. Income limits change each year, so check the current limits on the state's site.
Is there free daycare?
Some families can get it. Head Start and Early Head Start are free for children from families who qualify, and some states waive the family's share of the cost for the lowest incomes. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.
Does a daycare that accepts assistance cost more?
Not by itself. Accepting assistance means the daycare takes payments from the state program; its own prices vary like any daycare's. Ask whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much you would pay.
How does child care assistance work?
Each state runs a child care assistance program, paid for in part by the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Families who qualify by income, and usually by working, looking for work or going to school, get help paying a daycare that accepts it; the help is often called a voucher or subsidy. Most families pay a share called a copayment, set by the state. Apply through the Alaska child care assistance office.
Can I get free daycare?
Some families can. States may waive the copayment for families with the lowest incomes, and Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.
Who licenses daycares in Alaska?
Alaska Department of Health, Child Care Program Office licenses daycares in Alaska. It publishes inspections on its own site; use the state search linked on this page.