Childcare - Girdwood Inc.

The Girdwood Workforce Childcare Project is a joint effort of Girdwood Inc and Little Bears Playhouse, Inc. Our goal is to build a new and safe childcare facility in Girdwood. You can help this effort in a number of ways! Join our Gratitude Tree that will be located in the new facility with a donation of $100+. Your name will be added as a permanent part of our building. Learn more about our sponsorship levels below! We greatly appreciate any amount. Every dollar counts.

Click Here to Donate Now!

Little Bears Playhouse, a nonprofit serving the Girdwood Community for 41 years will be the owner, operator and steward of the future building.

Join us in the EVERYONE FOR GIRDWOOD campaign, where we aim to raise funds for a much-needed new and secure childcare facility in Girdwood. Our goal is to collect $300,000 from local residents and Girdwood patrons. By donating, you will directly support the Girdwood Workforce Childcare Project, a collaboration between Girdwood Inc. and Little Bears Playhouse, Inc., two local nonprofit organizations responsible for bringing this building to life.

Girdwood faces both a childcare and housing crisis, which has put immense pressure on the local workforce, businesses, families, and the economy. These challenges extend beyond our community, impacting the available workforce and our ability to provide services to visitors who come to Girdwood for recreation. The splendor of our community relies on the people who live and work here. If they cannot thrive, neither can Girdwood. That is why we are urging EVERYONE to unite FOR GIRDWOOD! By addressing our childcare crisis, we are fostering prosperity for all in Girdwood.

Click here to Donate on our Go Fund Me Page!

The details….

After over a decade of work to get funding for a new facility, in 2022 the Girdwood Workforce Childcare Project was awarded $1.6 million by the Anchorage Assembly in American Rescue Plan Act funds. We are required to match $1.5 million of these funds by June 2024.

The new facility will replace the existing single-room Municipality-owned building which is severely outdated (it was built in the 1960 by volunteers), has a roof with low snow load, and no longer meets the demands of the community. The new building will allow us to provide care for over 100 children (the current enrollment is 30) and will include infant and after-school care, which is not possible in the current space. The new site was generously donated to us by Pomeroy Lodging and is located by the base of Alyeska Resort, on Tract B. Plans for the new building have been designed by Skylab Architecture and efforts to advance the construction are underway.

The new facility will be operated by Little Bears Playhouse, Inc., a nonprofit childcare organization, who has been providing childcare in Girdwood for over 42 years. It is the only licensed childcare center serving the communities of Girdwood, Bird, Indian, Portage, and Whittier. The mission of Little Bears Playhouse is to provide an intentional, engaging, and nurturing learning environment that fosters the growth of each child.

Together, let’s make a difference for Girdwood and ensure a brighter future for us all. What better way is there to invest, than in the next generation?

We hope you will choose to support a healthy environment for children, parents of a vital workforce, and a safe space for learning. We invite you to join our Gratitude Tree!

Learn About Our Gratitude Tree Sponsorship Levels:

Little Bears Believer – Leaf – $100 – $499
Cub Contributor – Twig – $500 – $999
Black Bear Booster – Branch – $1000 – $4,999
Brown Bear Benefactor – Bough – $5,000 – $9,999
Grizzly Bear Grantor – Limb – $10,000 – $24,999
Polar Bear Patron – Trunk – $25,000 – $99,999
Bear Den Builder – Base of Tree – $100,000 – $349,999 (Classroom or Multipurpose Room Dedication opportunity + Gratitude Tree)
Ursa Major Angel “The Great Bear” – Roots – $350,000+

Join Our Gratitude Tree with a donation of $100+!