Okay, everyone, let's get this work session started.

Um today is Friday, May 15th, and uh we are noticed from one to two PM today.

And this is a work session number here we go.

AO twenty twenty six sixty-nine.

Um so that is an ordinance changing some of our proposing to change some of our child care uh ordinances or or code.

And uh we have a public hearing on that that will come up in our May twenty-sixth meeting, and so we will get a briefing today from the health department folks.

So we have them joining here, and uh then we will get into it.

So I'll note that we do have uh some materials that should be posted online as well, as well as a copy of the ordinance.

So we'll start with introductions in the room and then on the phone, then we'll go to our presenters.

Anna Brawley.

And that's all in the room right now.

Uh we also have uh Mr.

Johnson on the phone.

I'm here.

And any other members I'm missing.

Okay, not right now, but I know we'll have at least a couple of folks joining us.

So uh why don't we go ahead and get started?

Um, so I'll turn to our health department folks if you can introduce yourselves and then we'll move through uh the slides you have.

Thank you.

Um, like uh Chair Brawley has mentioned, we are here today to talk about uh the second round of code changes to sixteen dot five five, which is our child care licensing code.

Um I just want to touch upon a few things before Don launches into the presentation today.

You have four handouts in front of you.

The first one is the presentation for today, which is called Modernizing Anchorage's Child Care Licensing Code.

The next document you have is a copy of the AO.

As Chair Brawley mentioned, she will be seeing this at the twenty-six meeting.

Within this packet of the AO, you will also see two letters of support, one from the Anchorage Child Care and Early Education Fund, so the ACE Fund, as well as from Thread.

Um goes with the presentation today.

It's just the crosswalk between uh the code that we are changing.

And then the state regulation, it's just in a larger format.

We didn't want to put it in the presentation because it is a lot of information.

Thank you.

And I'll just note for the record uh we were suddenly joined by uh Ms.

Park, Miss Scout, and Mr.

McCormick in person, also Miss Baldwin Day on the phone, and also our second assembly council.

So just for the record, go ahead.

Thank you.

And then the fourth handout you have here is from the presentation that Dawn and I provided to the body on the first round of changes.

And so if you would like to listen up on that, you can.

That work session happened on Friday, June 27th, 2025.

It is on your work session site as well as the assembly approved the changes for the first round on July 15th, 2025.

With that, I will turn it over to Don Ske to conduct the presentation.

And if you have changes, just please let us know throughout the presentation so that we can address them as we go.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone.

And I think we're just getting the presentation pulled up online in the room, but it's also on our website or in members' email.

You have it.

And I'll note too I will take questions throughout.

So if you're on the phone, just text me to get in the queue or wave me down either way.

And I guess if we have like kind of substantive discussion, again, this is a work session, we aren't debating, but we can uh hold time for that as well.

So all right, presentation is up.

So go ahead, Tom.

All right, thank you.

Today we're going to be discussing proposed updates to the Anchorage Municipal Child Care Code 1655.

Uh the presentation focuses on focuses focuses on referring to round two as we're calling the updates.

Last year we did round one from this time of year through July 15th.

Um, the additional changes that are being proposed are intended to approve improve alignment with state regulation, reduce duplication, and modernize outdated requirements and as well as support providers and continu while also continuing to maintain health and safety protections for children.

My name's Don Skeet, as we just did introductions, and I'm accompanied today by Director Rash from the Health Department.

We're happy to be here.

So we're this will be a brief overview because there are some handouts that you can look at more closely that'll give a little bit more detail.

But we're going to be reviewing the current child care landscape in Anchorage to include guide with an approach of guiding these updates and actions already taken that we've done so far, feedback we've received, some key takeaways, and proposed round two changes with safeguards.