Blog

“It’s not done yet!” That’s the message we are hearing from legislators. Why? Because Governor Dunleavy’s vetoes cut some $444 million from Alaska’s FY 2020 operating budget, including early learning — Best Beginnings, $320,000; Parents as Teachers home visiting programs, $474,700; and Head Start, $6.8 million, match for $46 million in federal funding. Legislators were Read More

Did you see this recent headline in the Anchorage Daily News? “Alaska ranks 45thin the nation for children’s well-being, report says.” 45th in the nation? We must do better! As Alaskans, we like to think of ourselves as exemplifying that “pioneer spirit” of independence and at the same time recognizing that our climate and geography compel Read More

Over the past month Best Beginnings has sent over 1,200 books to the homes of 100 children living in areas of Alaska where there is currently no Imagination Library program. While Alaska has one of the highest rates of enrollment in Imagination Library nationwide, we know that there are still over 7,300 Alaska children living in communities Read More

Join the celebration! April 8-12 is the Week of the Young Child, sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and there are many ways you can participate. Thank an early childhood educator! Did you know there are 38,800 children under age 6 who live in families where all available parents Read More

We Alaskans greet spring with such enthusiasm. We comment to each other – even to strangers – about how the snow is melting and the days are getting longer. The news that we’re gaining five minutes and more of sunlight a day is met with happy smiles. April will be here soon, and so it Read More

Have you heard about the cuts to early learning in Gov Dunleavy’s proposed FY 2020 budget? It zeroes out funding for the following: Parents as Teachers home visiting program PreK grants to school districts Head Start matching funds to receive federal dollars Best Beginnings Let’s just look at Best Beginnings’ funding. Best Beginnings receives $320,000 Read More

Parents of young children today can be overwhelmed by the plethora of information available to them on virtually every aspect of child development and being a parent. When my children were babies, 40 years ago, my friends and I had Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care and each other. Sometimes we asked our mothers for Read More

During the holidays, children’s books can be a wonderful gift AND provide some much-needed respite from the holiday rush, for children and their parents. We often spend a lot of time and energy looking for that special toy for our child, but how about replacing that toy with a book? Many toys these days seem Read More

During the Thanksgiving holiday, there’s a lot written and discussed about gratitude, why it’s an important quality to nurture, and that we as parents should be intentional about instilling that quality in our children. I don’t disagree. A lot of parents of young children wrestle with how best to help their children both feel and Read More

“People told me to talk to my baby when we went to places like the grocery store,” a first-time mother said. “But I didn’t know what that actually looked like, until I watched Babies on Track and saw a parent really doing that. Now I know what to do.” Many of us feel like we’re in Read More