Updated: Subsidized daycare mulled for Stafford County employees

As Stafford County prepares to send its public school students back to class virtually, county leaders must decide whether to use federal money to subsidize child daycare.

The Board of Supervisors tonight will hold a public hearing to discuss the allocation federal CARES Act funding, some $600,000 of which could go to the Massad Family YMCA which would provide daycare in its new virtual learning center at one of six locations in the area. For $113 per week, children who cannot attend classes in public schools will be allowed to come to the Massad Family YMCA on Butler Road, with a laptop in hand, to attend virtual classes.

Under the proposal, daycare for the children of county employees, including public safety personnel, would be fully subsidized. According to a discussion had today by supervisors, the YMCA initially advertised it would use county school buildings as daycare sites, but they later said the community center did an about-face and said it was not using the schools as daycare sites.

A representative from YMCA did not return a request for comment or this story.

A total of 75% of they county’s workforce would be elgible for the stipends, as they have chidlren between the ages of five and twelve. The stipends would be given directly to the YMCA.

Stafford County school students will head back to class, virtually, on August 30.

Area residents are also eligible to place their children in the YMCA’s daycare program at a higher rate — $130 per child per week for existing YMCA members, $175 per week for non-members.

Garrisonville District Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer questioned whether the county should be handing out these stipends for fear that they may become expected later on describing the scenario as a “gravy train” and was concerned by what he described as some “outrageous things that need to be worked out” in the resolution.

Rock Hill District Supervisor Crystal Vaunch sympathized with Federal Government employees, who don’t enjoy a similar daycare subsidy. “If the schools are closed but its OK for your kids to go to the virtual learning center, and if you have to be on web ex calls all day, or you need to go into the office, you have to foot the bill for childcare,” said Vanuch.

Fredericksburg and the counties of Spotsylvania King George are also participating in the daycare program provided by the YMCA, said county administrator Fred Pressley.

George Washington District Supervisor Tom Coen, a high school teacher, went to bat for the resolution, saying the funds would be for employees such as bus drivers and teachers whose attention would be on children in their care rather than their own.

It’s unclear how many sites the YMCA will use to host the daycare program. Falmouth District Supervisor Meg Bohmke said it would be “humanly impossible” to house all of the anticipated daycare participants, estimated to be 375 children, at the Massad Family YMCA.

Stafford officials later told Potoamc Local News that children will be housed in six county schools.

The public hearing for the CARES Act funds allocation will take place at the 7 p.m. meeting of the Board of Supervisors. Social distancing rules are still in effect but the meeting will be live-streamed through the county’s website. The meeting will also be broadcasted live on Comcast channel 23, Cox channel 90, and Verizon channel 39.

This story has been corrected to reflect the Massad Family YMCA will be hosting child daycare, not the Rappahannock United Way.