Deerfield offers child care at Town Meeting

Seeking to attract an often-missing demographic at Town Meeting — parents of young children — the town of Deerfield has joined others in Massachusetts offering child care services at the event.

Deerfield began offering free child care services for children ages 4 and up at its April 28 Town Meeting, thereby helping parents participate in the proceedings. The pilot program, which brought in five children that night, emerged from a collaboration among community volunteers, town leaders and school officials.

“It is vital that our young families feel supported in Deerfield and that they feel they can participate in [the] governance of the town, where so many of the budget items affect them so directly,” said Trevor McDaniel, chair of the Deerfield Select Board. “It was a great success, and I am sure it will only build.”

The effort started because some residents expressed concerns that Town Meeting is lucky to draw 300 or so attendees out of 4,000-plus registered voters, and many attendees appear to be in the same age bracket. For many younger parents, they said, attending a Monday night meeting can’t compete against dinner logistics, children’s bedtimes, activities, and supervision needs.

“I have a son, and he and my daughter-in-law, and my two granddaughters live in town, and they were like, ‘Oh, there’s just no way. We can’t do this. It’s too late,’” said longtime resident Janice James. “And that just inspired me more, because every vote counts. There are so many issues.”

James’ friend Annette Pfannebecker, treasurer for Engage: Deerfield, a local group that works to inform and engage residents around community issues, said it’s important for Deerfield’s parents to weigh in on topics affecting their families, particularly school funding, infrastructure, housing, and public safety.

“Town Meeting has many impactful issues,” Pfannebecker said. “When that population does not come … they’re not having a chance to vote on the impact of the issues.”

Pfannebecker and James strategized with school administrators and a coordinator from the Out-of-School-Time Program, a child care program within the school district that would provide the background-checked employees. By the time their proposal reached town leaders, their legwork made the concept an easier sell, Pfannebecker said.

Before Town Meeting, the organizers used a signup sheet to gather parents’ contact information, and details about children’s allergies or medical issues. On Town Meeting night, three Out-of-School-Time employees set up crafts and activities, as well as snacks and drinks, in the high school library, a short walk from the meeting.

“It was really great for the parents to not have to worry about their children and know they were safe while they took an hour or so to participate in their government,” McDaniel said.

James said the program cost just $120 for staffing, a bargain for the ability to participate in direct democracy. Though the service was called a pilot project, organizers are already planning ahead for future meetings.

Deerfield has joined a number of communities that provide child care at town meetings, including Concord, Lynnfield, Westford, West Tisbury, Easton and Orleans. (Orleans’ tagline is, “Leave your child with us and focus on your civic duties without any distractions.”)

The child care services range from free to minimal per-child charges. Some communities provide the service only for the annual town meeting, while others offer it for special town meetings as well. Depending on the community, the programs are run by different departments, such as schools, recreation or the library, or they involve partnerships with outside organizations.

The Concord Recreation Department has been providing child care at annual and special town meetings for years, at a cost of $10 per child or $20 per family. Employees have undergone background checks and are certified in adult and pediatric first aid and CPR. They also have early education teacher qualifications or higher in most cases, according to Childcare Services Manager Anita Stevanazzi-Hill.

West Tisbury has offered free child care at its annual Town Meeting for the past seven or eight years, according to Library Director Alexandra Pratt, who organizes the service. Depending on the interest level in a given year’s warrant articles, the service hosts between five and 20 kids each year, helping Town Meeting get closer to its 139-person quorum.

“I think it is so important to have this option so families with young children have less of a barrier for access to and participation in local politics,” Pratt said. “I wish we could offer child care and food more often — at Select Board meetings, other committee meetings, etc.”