By Marcia Kuszmaul
Homer Independent Press

Two new facilities are helping to alleviate the child care crunch for Homer-area families. The South Peninsula Hospital (SPH) Childcare Center serves hospital employee families. A child care center in development by Church on the Rock Homer (COTRH) will serve the entire community. 

The SPH Childcare Center, in the blue building at 203 W. Pioneer Ave., opened Nov. 3 with three classrooms to serve infants and toddlers ages 3 months to 2 years. Two additional classrooms will come online Jan. 12 for preschool and pre-kindergarten children, ages 3 to 6 years.

Monthly tuition ranges from $530 to $1,200 based on factors such as age of child and number of days of service. A minimum of two days a week is required. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with a goal to provide a 12-hour day. 

The State of Alaska Department of Health licensed the center for a capacity of 62 children ages 3 months to 12 years. This will enable the center to consider adding summer and after-school programs. 

SPH’s added capacity is a significant boost to local child care availability. According to the Alaska Child Care Provider search, before the SPH facility opened, four state-licensed child care centers or homes operated within a 20-mile radius of Homer with a combined capacity of 88 children.

Now, the community has a capacity of 150 for licensed child care, up 70% The number and capacity of unlicensed childcare operations is not tracked, but Hannah Gustafson, coordinator for MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships) of the Southern Kenai Peninsula, estimates there may be up to 12 child care businesses, licensed and unlicensed, in the southern peninsula.

Meanwhile, at the other end of town, traffic on East End Road has been following the buildout of the 4,000-square-foot COTRH facility, located near The Rock Office at 1061 East End Road. COTRH created a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit to administer the center. It will come online later in 2026 as a state-licensed child care facility with four classrooms.

The exterior is finished, and the interior is nearing completion. The building will have a comprehensive fire suppression and alarm system, an enhanced security system with total camera coverage inside and out and an outdoor play space. 

All families in the community will be eligible for services, not only those involved with the church. The exact capacity of the center and the ages of children served will be determined in the state licensing process. The center’s enrollment  process, tuition rates and curriculum also are details to be finalized before opening.

“Our facility use philosophy has always been to maximize our capacity to simultaneously meet the needs of our church and the needs of our community,“ said Aaron Weisser, COTRH pastor overseeing leadership and administration. “The new children’s facility enables COTRH to host children for our own services and events on our current property and gives us a way to respond to a top-tier community need.”

Child care availability is called out in the 2045 Homer Comprehensive Plan Update as a significant  barrier to economic development. The plan includes recommendations for more partner-led child care solutions. MAPP, a coalition of 40 organizations plus individuals working to make the southern peninsula a healthier place for everyone, also has made affordable, accredited and reliable child care a priority goal.

While the SPH center directly serves only hospital employees, Derotha Ferraro, director of public relations for SPH, notes a spillover effect that increases the community’s child care capacity. 

“We’re trying to grow total capacity for the whole community and open up slots at other facilities to reduce waiting lists for all,” Ferraro said. “We also want to grow the child care workforce and get more trained workers out into the community.” 

The administrators of both facilities are qualified to operate licensed child care centers in the state of Alaska. SPH Childcare Director Lauren Policastro began her career in Colorado 15 years ago, opening a licensed 24/7 in-home child care program.  She has since been an infant, toddler and preschool teacher, an Early Head Start supervisor, and has led the development of new child care centers, all aligned with state standards and best practices. 

“I have a deep belief in the importance of creating a place where children and families feel a strong sense of belonging and receive high-quality care,” Policasro said. “Being licensed and grounded in best practices is the foundation of that work.” 

Policastro noted that her family relocated to Homer four years ago, seeking a close-knit community that reflected their values around family, nature and intentional living. 

“As a mother of two energetic boys, I see my work not just as a career, but as a calling,” she said. “It is heart work, and I am honored to do it.”

SPH Childcare Assistant Director Red Asselin Martin has been part of the local child care and early childhood education communities for nearly 20 years since when she first purchased the popular Raspberry Lane business. She also supported local families and caregivers for nine years through SPROUT Family Services, earned a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked for years in building local coalitions in support of children.  

“Our businesses and nonprofits are all partners in creating a community where young children and their families are honored and valued,” Asselin Martin said. “Each child and family has unique needs. If we can provide and connect families to a variety of child care options, they will be able to access the care that best fits their child.” 

The SPH center is offering opportunities for staff to complete a Child Development Associate certification while working.  

“We have big plans to develop the workforce and generate more interest in this field,” Policastro said.

Applicants for staff positions must be at least 18 years old, pass a background check, become certified in cardio pulmonary resuscitation and first aid, complete 24 hours of training each year, and be willing to learn. The center is recruiting for substitutes to provide backup to full-time staff and, with expanded hours, will hire more educators and assistant educators.

In-coming director at the COTRH center, Laura Anderson has a master’s degree in elementary education and is a certified teacher in Alaska with five years teaching experience, most recently with the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. She has worked in schools in numerous roles for more than a decade.

Anderson emphasized that the church is responding to a major need in the community for greater access to child care. 

“There’s a lot of excitement about the center, and I’ve received so many positive reactions,” she said. 

“Having worked and partnered with families on the growth and development of their children, I know the importance of good, quality child care from birth on up,” Anderson said, and noted that the COTRH center aspires to expand to a preschool.

Ferraro described SPH’s decision to create its own facility as a journey of careful deliberation with considerable data gathering and input from staff. As many as 100 of the hospital’s 700 employees have said through multiple surveys that they need and would use an SPH child care facility. 

“In 2017 we created an internal committee to address complaints from the staff. Lack of adequate child care had become a burden to the hospital with some employees missing work or even resigning due to lack of child care,” Ferraro said. “By 2020, child care also had become an issue for staff recruitment.”

In its application for grants to create the center, SPH described a virtuous cycle in which child care services would increase job satisfaction and quality of life for staff, thus reducing staff turnover and improving recruitment, resulting in improvements in quality care and patient health, safety and satisfaction. 

SPH built its case for the center with multiple surveys, data collection and analysis. It secured nearly $2.2 million in federal, state and foundation grants for building and site renovations, plus start-up costs such as equipment and furnishings, staffing and training, insurance and more.  

SPH leases the building from the Kenai Peninsula Borough but does not pay rent for this or any other building it occupies as part of its sublease and operating agreement. Previously SPH has deployed the site for home health, functional medicine, training and other services. Originally the building had been a bank. 

For the child care center, renovations included reconfiguring more than 5,500-square-foot interior space and building a more than 14,000-square-foot outdoor playground, all to state standards. 

In addition, South Peninsula Hospital Inc., the Alaska nonprofit that operates the hospital, contributed $365,000 in operational funds. Ferraro confirmed that no borough funds, taxes or monies from the hospital Plant Replacement and Expansion Fund were used.

COTRH reports that the total cost of its project is approximately $1.1 million, including land acquisition, replatting three parcels, conjoining two other properties and site work in addition to construction costs. 

Weisser Homes is the contractor for the project. In making its selection, the COTRH board of directors noted the value the business offered in building significantly below industry averages and producing a mechanically and technologically sophisticated facility.

The work has been funded through donations. Some funds were specifically targeted for the center, and some were set aside from regular donations made over recent years. The church reports having about $400,000 to go to fully pay for the facility.

The Church on the Rock Homer’s new children’s facility pictured in November 2025 is nearing completion and will open in 2026. (Photo provided by Church on the Rock Homer)

Each of the four classrooms in the Church on the Rock Homer children’s facility has a small kitchenette, a private access bathroom, a small closet and an emergency exit as shown in this November 2025 photo. (Photo provided by Church on the Rock Homer)

Sixteen windows in every Church on the Rock Homer classroom will help children grow. (Photo provided by Church on the Rock Homer)