CENTERVILLE — The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce is looking for members to join a task force whose goal would be to shape statewide and local early childhood education and child care policies.

Trends on the outer and lower Cape towns have included preschool subsidies and universal preschool or day care.

Chamber Chief of Staff Noelle Pina said the work of the task force would include talking to and working with municipal leaders on the Cape so they can set up similar types of support.

The task force will also review a needs assessment report prepared by the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy for the Cape Cod Commission. The 55-page report was released in June 2022.

According to the report, the average cost of infant care in the state is $21,000 a year or $1,743 per month. Average cost for a toddler is $15,000 a year, or $1,250 per month. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that families spend about 7% of their income on child care. Seven percent of a Massachusetts family’s income of $300,000 would equal $21,000.

For families on Cape Cod and the Islands, early education and child care issues are made worse by the high cost of housing, child care program closures, fewer subsidized care options, and a high cost of living. Limited space in federally funded programs and state voucher programs hamper accessibility for low-income families, the report concluded.

More:Finding solutions for housing, erosion, child care at the OneCape Summit

Pina said the task force would review the report to see if the Commission can expand on the research.

And finally, through partnerships with the Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Childhood Education, members will look at issues that can be addressed at the local and state level.

“There’s a lot of action happening on child care,” Pina said. “Through that group (Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Childhood Education) we’ll produce material that will help businesses figure out first — what employees need for support, and second — how do they go about implementing support at their own business.”

Solving the issue will require more than businesses and state government, she said.

“This is complicated at the state and local levels,” Pina said. “There are many moving parts. We’re trying to ensure that whatever the partnership will be, we have a seat at the table.”

The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce has received an $85,000 earmark in the economic development supplemental bill passed in November, “to leverage matching funds from businesses to offset childcare costs for employees or support on-site childcare services.” Program details have not yet been announced.

Mary Pat Messmer, the past executive director of Cape Cod Child Development Inc., is chairing the task force, and Pina is the staff liaison. Chamber members who are interested in joining the task force should email noelle@capecodchamber.org or call Pina at 508-362-3225.

Contact Denise Coffey at dcoffey@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: New education task force by Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce forming