Child care referral services brought to you by thread

thread provides referrals to child care programs only, they do not provide recommendations. Parents are encouraged to visit and interview providers before making a final decision about their child care. Family services are provided free of charge, including referrals, library use, and consumer information.

How thread's referral service works

thread's Family Services department helps families find child care by conducting an individualized search from their child care database, which includes licensed and approved family child care homes, centers, preschool programs, head start programs, and more, throughout Alaska.

They search by family's specific needs including the child's age, location, desired program type, transportation options, and other attributes important to the family. They can also answer many important questions about the child care programs in our database such as vacancies, fees, policies, caregiver experience, and types of activities available.

Along with referrals, they highly recommend downloading the Quality Care Booklet which includes information on quality care tips and tools for finding a provider that best fits your families' needs. They also have provided a sample plan for finding quality child care and some simple steps you can follow to help you find the best child care fit for your family.

There are several easy ways to access early care and education referrals:

• Contact the thread office nearest you
• Download the form found here
• E-mail or fax your local thread office
• Try our online referral service here