Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Eastham are in-person, with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for a link to an agenda and details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, Jan. 25
- Council on Aging Board of Directors, 9 a.m.
- Board of Health, 3 p.m.
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., Zoom only
Monday, Jan. 29
- Nauset Schools Regional Agreement Subcommittee, 5:30 p.m., Zoom only
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 30
- Zoning Task Force, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 31
- Human Services Advisory Committee, 6:30 p.m.
Conversation Starter
Child-Care Subsidy Gets Boost
The town’s child-care subsidy for 2025 will increase from $2,500 to $5,000 per child, after a unanimous vote by the select board on Jan. 8.
The subsidy provides funding for children under three to attend a licensed child-care program.
With 125 children in town eligible for the subsidy and only 13 taking part in the program, according to Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe, surplus funds from previous years will cover the cost of raising the amount the town can cover for each child.
The select board agreed to reassess the increase and budgeting after one or two years.
The increase in child-care funding is consistent with the select board’s commitments in recent years. The Family Support Package, passed at the 2020 annual town meeting, established a line item in the operating budget to support housing, child-care vouchers, and free lunches. That program’s child-care support focuses on preschool for four-year-olds and half-day preschool for three-year-olds, while the child-care subsidy is aimed at care for younger children.
These efforts are intended to retain young families and invest in the future population of Eastham. The 2022 American Community Survey found that the median age in Eastham is 59.8 years, substantially higher than the state median of 39.8. —Olivia Oldham
