Kid stuff: Town Meeting logistics remain a hurdle for young parents

Abby Flanagan came away from this year’s Town Meeting with a sense of disappointment.

By the end of Town Meeting on Wednesday night, “we had, what, 150 people voting?” asked Flanagan, a mom of three young children who also sits on the Planning Board. 

“When we’re dealing with a town of this size, that has a budget of this size,” she said, “it is simply not acceptable to have that small of a segment of the town’s population making these decisions.” 

She said one big demographic that’s not showing up is young parents — and she’s not alone in being worried about them not coming to Town Meeting. 

Acton formed a study committee last year to dig into Town Meeting accessibility. Chair Eric Moore told The Acton Bridge that many of the committee’s final recommendations were driven largely by parents’ needs.

One recommendation, remote participation, was “the most important thing that we did in the committee,” in part because it offered parents another option for attending, he said. 

But last week, just down the hall from Town Meeting, a long-running service to help more parents take part sat nearly empty. 

‘Easier to show up’

Acton has offered low-cost child care at Town Meeting for years. This month, just a handful of families used it even as residents voiced concern about participation barriers for young parents.

Flanagan said the provided child care simply wasn’t a fit for everyone: Kids too young for child care or with early bedtimes came to mind. “This year, my husband had to stay home to watch our 3-year-old, so he wasn’t able to vote,” she told The Bridge. “It disenfranchises half of my family.”

Three members of the study committee have young children. None of them used the on-site child care this year. 

One of those parents, Katie Bresnick, told The Bridge that the care was impractical for her needs — the meeting runs later than her children’s bedtime. When she and her husband both want to vote at Town Meeting on the same night, they hire a babysitter — a costly option. 

“I am hopeful for a future where I may be able to fully participate in Town Meeting, but am disheartened it may be many years away,” she said.

Underused care

Last Monday night, just one youngster was pre-registered for Town Meeting child care.

Teachers Ruth Ann Teitelman and Gail Gray came prepared anyway.

The longtime Acton educators brought toys, a ball to kick around, and the same steady presence they’ve offered for more than a decade.  

Acton Recreation runs Town Meeting’s child care service. The fee is $10 per child, with the price not to exceed $20 per family — cheaper than the $100 Bresnick said she’d have to pay for a sitter. 

The only cost to Acton is the hourly wage of the caregivers, said town Communications Manager Donna McIntosh.  

McCarron and Gray say some years are busier than others, especially when school or youth programs are on the warrant. On the night in 2022 when Town Meeting voted to approve construction of the new middle school, they had around 30 children in their care. 

But even on quieter nights, they see the service as essential.

“Even with one or two kids, it’s important that we’re here,” McCarron said. “It makes Town Meeting more accessible.”

Elizabeth More, a parent of two, agreed. “I’ve used the child care both years [my family came], and it makes a huge difference,” she said. “Even just knowing it’s available makes it easier to show up.”

‘Building on what’s there’

For the town staff behind the program, the question isn’t whether the child care matters. It’s how to get more families to use it.

“We’re always looking for ways to spread the word,” McCarron said. “Sometimes people just don’t know it’s an option.”

Erica Taylor, another parent who used the care service to attend, said remote participation is likely to increase Town Meeting turnout — but it won’t solve everything. “Families are still going to be juggling dinnertime and bedtime,” she said. “I think the biggest barrier is time.”

Changing the meeting structure and time could have a bigger impact on parent participation, she said: To her, a gathering on Sunday at 4 p.m. is a lot easier to get to than a Monday night meeting that goes until 9:30. 

Flanagan and Bresnick are also interested in Article 27, which permits the Select Board to petition the state government to allow remote participation and passed Town Meeting with a vote of 195 to 100. 

For now, More said the best thing to do is to start “building on what’s there” and offer more ways for parents to participate in Town Meeting in person. 

“I want a room where I could have a screen and the clicker, but also be able to have my child with me and other parents in the room, too, and not worry about noise,” she said. 

“Not worry about if my child squeaks, or if we want to give them some food.”