Play'n Learn Center, Inc.

Play'n Learn Center, Inc. (doing business as Playn Learn Center Inc.) is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Fairbanks, Alaska, that operates as a federal grant recipient delivering Head Start and early childhood education services. The organization acts almost exclusively as a sub-recipient on federal grants (87% of recent awards), with a single significant prime recipient award anchoring its federal footprint.

Play'n Learn Center's primary capability is comprehensive early childhood education and family support services targeting low-income children and families. The organization received a $3.28 million Head Start Project Grant (CFDA 93.600) from the Office of Head Start effective February 1, 2026, through January 31, 2031, which funds traditional Head Start programming for three- and four-year-old children and Early Head Start services for infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. The award encompasses educational instruction, health and nutritional support, social-emotional development programming, and family engagement initiatives tailored to local community needs. As a Head Start recipient, Play'n Learn Center is required to provide a 20 percent non-federal match and will be measured against federal performance standards for school readiness outcomes, health and family well-being metrics, and compliance with applicable federal requirements.

Customer concentration is heavily weighted toward nutrition and food-service support. The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service accounts for 58 awards—essentially the totality of Play'n Learn Center's sub-award footprint—consisting of Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal and cash-in-lieu sub-grants flowing through the state-level Education & Early Development Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. These sub-awards date back to at least 2023 and recur on a regular monthly or quarterly cycle. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (the Head Start grantor) accounts for 7 awards in the recent file, with the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service contributing 2 awards. The vendor serves four distinct federal customer agencies total.

Activity has grown from 2 awards in 2021 to a peak of 21 awards in 2024, with 14 awards in 2025 and 11 in the first half of 2026. The combined dollars obligated across all awards totals $59.2 million over the source period, reflecting the cumulative value of the five-year Head Start prime award combined with multiple years of recurring CACFP sub-grants. The organization's federal footprint is narrowly concentrated in early childhood education and nutrition support for vulnerable populations in Alaska, with no federal contract work and no prime contractor relationships outside of the Head Start grant channel.