FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 14, 2003
State Awards $5.3 million in Child Care Grants
Strong Child Care Services continue as department restructures: Mary Lorence named DHSS Childcare Manager
Printer Friendly Copy (PDF, 31kb)
The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today announced $5,290,514 in child care grants to communities and organizations throughout Alaska that provide services to children. The awards are administered by the Child Care Assistance Program, which recently moved from the Department of Education and Early Development to the Division of Public Assistance as part of a large DHSS reorganization for efficiency and better customer service.
Grants fall within one of three categories:
- Child Care Assistance ($2.6 million)
- Child Care Licensing ($917,000)
- Child Care Resource and Referral ($1.8 million).
The awards were announced after one-on-one negotiations between and child care agencies and Anthony Lombardo, Director of the Division of Public Assistance.
“We appreciate the process and the ability to work with the department personnel,” Cheryl Keepers, administrator for the Child Care Assistance and Referral Program for the Fairbanks North Star Borough. “From the perspective of our community, we found the department respectful of our concerns and we look forward to a continuing relationship in providing this most important service to the children and families of Fairbanks.”
Child Care Resources and Referral grant awards include:
- Child Care Connection in Southcentral received $1.0 million
- National Association for the Education of Young Children in Southeast received $358,693
- Play N Learn in Northern Alaska received $397,243
- Child Care Licensing grant awards include:
- Municipality of Anchorage received $917,000
Child Care Assistance grant awards include:
- Alaska Family Resource Center in the Mat-SU Borough received $314,921
- Catholic Community Services Southeast received $260,348
- City and Borough of Sitka received $35,400
- City of Haines received $14,194
- City of Valdez received $34,616
- City of Wrangell received $21,644
- Cordova Family Resource Center received $16,856
- Fairbanks North Star Borough received $411,540
- Kodiak Island Borough, received $72,910
- Metlakatla Indian Community received $21,454
- Municipality of Anchorage received $1,070,748 million
- Nome Community Center received $10,300
- Seaview Community Services Seward received $24,264
- South Peninsula Women’s Services Homer received $49,717
- Women’s Resource and Crisis Center in Kenai received $231,045
Beginning with Fiscal Year 2004, payments to eligible child care providers for services provided to families receiving childcare assistance will be made directly by the state.
Mary Lorence named DHSS Childcare Manager
In related news, DHSS also announced today the appointment of Mary Lorence as Childcare Manager for the DHSS Division of Public Assistance. “Mary has over 19 years experience in the delivery of services to young children and their families. We’re pleased to have her join the management team in this important capacity,” said Joel Gilbertson, DHSS Commissioner. Lorence’s first day is today.
She most currently worked as Director of the Children's Community Center in Juneau and has also coordinated training programs for childcare providers throughout Southeast Alaska. Lorence was instrumental in the development and early operation of the Gold Creek Child Development Center in the Juneau Federal Building, while serving as a family resource coordinator for the US Coast Guard. From 1999 through 2001, she served as Childcare Program Coordinator for the DHSS Div. of Public Assistance before leaving to administer the Blanket of Wellness project, a collaboration of 14 state and private agencies in Southeast Alaska that supports young children's social and emotional health.
“Ms. Lorence will manage DPA’s ‘Parents Achieving Self-Sufficiency Program’ (PASS), program,” said Lombardo. The PASS program provides childcare services to recipients of the Alaska Temporary Assistance Program (ATAP). PASS helps families move beyond ATAP’s welfare program and into employment, and helps other low-income working families pay for childcare. Lorence will also be responsible for the Childcare Grant program, which offers subsidies to childcare providers, and for the Childcare Licensing Program that licenses and monitors childcare facilities throughout Alaska.
Other online information
For more information, or for a photo of Ms. Lorence please contact Ross Soboleff.
--30--
For more information, please contact
Sherry Hill, Special Assistant to the Commissioner for Communications
(907) 465-1611Or
Ross Soboleff
Public Information Officer III
(907) 465-1611
Follow Alaska_DHSS on Twitter
Connect with us on Facebook