Rural Alaska Community Action Program Receives $150,000 Grant From KeyBank
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, March 29, 2024 /3BL/— Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc., (RurAL CAP) received a $150,000 grant from KeyBank to support its new Teacher Apprenticeship program, an effort to train and support new educators in attaining required certifications.
The goal of the program is to respond to the workforce challenges facing education providers in Alaska and improve the retention of staff who might otherwise reach the end of Head Start’s 3-year waiver period without certification. In alignment with University of Alaska Anchorage courses, Federal Head Start standards and developmentally appropriate practices
“Early childhood education is the bedrock upon which our communities are built, and we realize how challenging it is to attract and train qualified educators who will help nurture and educate our next generation,” said Alaska KeyBank President Lori McCaffrey. “We are delighted to support RurAL CAP’s efforts to improve support and training for these much-needed professionals. Our mission is to help our communities thrive, and this program addresses a wide range of positive outcomes by helping committed teachers gain secure employment, with enhanced support throughout the challenging first years as early childhood educators, as they work to set our youngest neighbors on the path to success.”
“This grant will help foster a better work experience for new educators and create a pipeline to ensure ample early childhood education staffing on a consistent and reliable basis throughout Alaska,” said RurAL CAP CEO Tiel Smith. “We are so grateful for this funding partnership with KeyBank that allows Early Childhood Education to be prioritized for our state. We are looking forward to our Teacher Apprenticeship program supporting Alaskans as educators of future generations.”
About Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc.
Founded in 1965, Rural Alaska Community Action Program is a private, statewide, nonprofit organization with a mission to empower low-income Alaskans through advocacy, education, affordable housing and direct services that respect our unique values and cultures. RurAL CAP is one of the largest and most diversified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Alaska and the only Community Action Agency serving Alaska.
About KeyBank
KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $188 billion at December 31, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
