Now available at Weymouth School Committee meetings: free child care

WEYMOUTH -- In an effort to make its meetings more accessible and engaging for families, the school committee now offers child care during its biweekly meetings.

Earlier this month, the school committee for the first time provided the option for child care during its Thursday night meeting. Weymouth High School students, with a school staff supervisor, oversaw the children as they colored and played games in the back of the room.

Lisa Belmarsh, chairwoman of the Weymouth School Committee, said the involvement of parents in the committee's efforts to plan for and fund a new Chapman Middle School and bring universal full-day kindergarten to the district prompted the committee to look at ways of offering child care at its meetings.

"The passion (parents) brought to those initiatives helped us come together as a community and get things accomplished in a stronger way," Belmarsh said.

Belmarsh and other members of the committee wanted to create an environment that encourages engagement on all issues in the district.

"One of the things I hear on a regular basis is that it's hard to get out to a meeting when kids are at home and have homework to do, or you have to find a babysitter," Belmarsh said. "We want to remove the obstacles to encourage people to come to our meetings."

Child care will be offered from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the back of the Mary Jo Livingstone Humanities Center at Weymouth High School. Parents are asked to sign their child in when they arrive and sign a waiver. Any child is welcome to be a part of the program.

Belmarsh committed to finding ways to encourage more participation in local government at a recent public hearing held in Weymouth by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.

"Participation is so important for the success of our schools and we hope that by doing things such as making child care available, we can continue to make school committee meetings more welcoming and accessible," she said. "We want parents to have the opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns and feel like they are able to be engaged and involved in their child's learning."

Belmarsh said the high school students who offer the child care receive community service hours.

"It's a combination of things, because the students earn their hours and learn about civic engagement," she said.

Ultimately, Belmarsh said she would love to expand the child care to include students from the National Honors Society, who could help with homework and perhaps tutoring.

"We hope it catches on, but we're starting small with a table with coloring books and a welcoming environment," she said.

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