The Cares Act ad hoc committee will discuss providing vouchers for childcare to individuals and families at its next meeting.

Assembly member Brenda Josephson raised the issue at Tuesday’s regular meeting. While the assembly is working on a draft to provide households $1,000 for utilities, rent and moorage, Josephson said funding for childcare would likely exceed those costs when asked if childcare vouchers should be included on that list.

“We’re only allowing $1,000 per household and I’d really like to hold off and put that on the additional amounts we’re going to dedicate to individuals,” Josephson said. “This is going to be a very expensive endeavor for families. We’re going to need other ideas of what individuals will need for support. Child care’s only going to be one of the ideas.”

Roughly $1.9 million in funding is available for dispersal and the ad hoc committee will continue to meet to decide how to divvy the federal relief money.

Haines Chamber of Commerce director Tracy Harmon asked the assembly to consider such vouchers as a way to prevent further business interruption as parents and families decide how to provide care for their children.

Sitka, Ketchikan, Craig, Gustavus, Juneau and Petersburg are all dedicating CARES Act to fund childcare.

“All other communities in Southeast that have licensed childcare have now dedicated CARES funds to preserve child care,” wrote Southeast Alaska Association for the Education of Young Children executive director Joy Lyon to the assembly and Mayor last week.

Craig paid a direct grant of $7,500 to its sole licensed childcare facility,’ Lyon said. Petersburg appropriated $50,000 to support three licensed programs, equaling roughly $600 per child.

“I got the list of every Mayor and assembly and city manager I could find in Southeast Alaska and sent the information about recommendations about the best way to support childcare,” Lyon said. “We saw half of the programs closing, if not more, in March and April. They started to slowly reopen. We did a survey. (Most are) up to about half capacity. Most of the programs are under enrolled. On the best days they’re breaking even.”

In Haines, the Chilkat Valley Preschool and Kim Larson’s daycare, Kids R Fun, are the only two licensed childcare facilities.