Former Resort Owner gives $1 Million to Childcare Center
Activists for a new childcare center pose along with donor John Byrne III. (Photo by Soren Wuerth)
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
In an emotional speech during a fundraising gala Friday night, former Alyeska Resort owner John Byrne III announced he is donating $1 million to the Girdwood Workforce Childcare Project for the new childcare center building for Little Bears Playhouse.
In the tearful address, Byrne suggested the new child care center—to be built on Alyeska-owned land near its hotel—be named after legendary volunteer and Girdwood, Inc. founder Diana Stone Livingston who sat before him in the hushed crowd.
The Little Bears Playhouse daycare center is currently housed in a six-decade-old building near the fire station and has capacity for 27 children.
"We're falling short of what our community needs," said Rachel Byers, Executive Director of Little Bears Playhouse . "Our new building will match the enthusiasm of our children."
The effort to secure a larger, safer building has been under way for several years and is a collaboration between Girdwood Inc. and Little Bears Playhouse Inc.
Among short speeches was a personal story about a condition common among parents unable to secure daycare in Girdwood, they call the "four-hour commute", in which parents need to shuttle their kids back and forth to Anchorage twice a day for childcare.
The new childcare and learning center planned on Alyeska Resort property, to be owned by Little Bears Playhouse, Inc., would accomodate up to 112 children and provide space for a playground. After a municipal bond failed in 2020, in January 2024 Pomeroy Lodging, the Resort's current owner, approved a 99-year land lease to Little Bears Playhouse, Inc for the new childcare facility at $1 per year.
The Girdwood Workforce Childcare Project was awarded a donation of $350,000 from the Rasmuson Foundation, $100,000 from Chugach Powder Guides, and $250,000 from The Forget-Me-Not Family Foundation. The group also received a capital grant from the State of $500,000 and a Community Childcare Innovation Grant of $530,000.
Many individuals and businesses have contributed over the last year, totaling nearly $120,000 raised. On Friday, the local Girdwood Rotary announced commitment to donate $25.000 toward the cause.
The building is expected to proceed this June and substantially complete by spring 2026. Little Bears Playhouse plans to open its new doors in the fall of 2026.
(Story was updated on Tuesday, Feb 25)
About 60 people attended the Little Bears fundraiser giving a total of $47,000, including $25,000 from Girdwood's Rotary Club.