Base CDCs receive exceptional scores during inspection

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Emmons
  • Nucleus journalist
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  It's no surprise to parents who use a child care provider here and to those employed with the Kirtland Family Member Program that both child development centers, the Family Child Care program and the Youth Programs received exceptional ratings on a recent unannounced inspection.

The Family Member Programs offered here by the 377th Services Squadron exceeded average Air Force ratings on the Air Force Services inspection, leaving childcare providers here a great sense of pride and reassuring parents that their children are in excellent hands while at work.

The programs were rated on a variety of criteria, including safety, health, child interaction, curriculum, nutrition and food service, administration, parent involvement and staff to parent interaction and staff training and qualifications.

Both Maxwell Child Development Center and Gibson CDC received inspection scores above the Air Force CDC average of 86.7 percent. The Child Development Center operates from 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Friday and serves children 6 weeks of age to 5 years of age.

The Maxwell CDC received an overall score of 94.5 percent.

"We are very excited that we were recognized for the quality of care we give to each and every child in our facility," Maxwell CDC Director Sherry Lyke said. "Our program has strived to excel in offering programs that develop the whole child. Our goals are to help parents with the development of their children and promote each child's self-esteem."

In a report prepared by Family Support Flight Chief Roxanne Dietrich, each CDC here received recognition for the outstanding child care they provide families and program administration was highly praised.

"Overall, each center had excellent child-adult interaction," Ms. Dietrich said. "There was an outstanding training and curriculum program and the documentation or records was the best seen."

Mona Hamilton, director of Kirtland Youth Programs, said that the two inspectors who conducted the ratings were Joye Tolley and Karen Stork.

The inspectors noted that the CDC's activity plans were comprehensive and on target to meet child care needs and that the child portfolios were the best seen.

"The portfolios were complete with all necessary components included, like informal parent conferences," Ms. Dietrich wrote in the report.

Julie Santos, Gibson CDC director, said that her center's inspection score of 90 percent reflects on the first-rate care the Gibson CDC provides.

"We feel awesome about the inspection," Ms. Santos said. "I feel that we do an outstanding job and provide quality care. We definitely have a committed and knowledgeable staff who are dedicated to providing quality child care."

Family Child Care homes received an outstanding score of 100 percent, with the average Air Force FCC program at 94.2 percent. The mildly ill program, which is part of the FCC program, also received a score of 100 percent.

"The FCC here is one of the best organized and administered programs in the Air Force," Ms. Dietrich reported. "The FCC office was well organized and user friendly. The mildly ill home was warm and nurturing, an outstanding home."

"I feel the results truly reflect how the FCC is run," FCC Coordinator Mary Jo Smith said. "It shows how well we do with the marketing of the program, of how we run the program and how we get the information out about how we offer nontraditional care for those looking for a smaller setting.

"What FCC offers is more of a family setting. It provides a warm environment for children who do better in smaller settings," Ms. Smith said.

The program is available to all individuals with base access. Referral lists are available at the FCC office, the Child Development Centers, the Youth Center, the Housing Office and the library.

The purpose of establishing a family child care program on an Air Force installation is to make child care available to military members so that they can more successfully perform their military mission, and for civilians who work on base, to secure the knowledge that their children's safety, health, and well-being are protected, Ms. Smith said.

Having child care available also supports the economic viability of military families by enabling spouses to seek employment and contribute to the family income. Family child care provides an alternative to child development center care for families that need evening care, weekend care, care for children with special needs such as asthma, allergies, cerebral palsy, physical impairments, and is for infants and school-aged children. Home child care also provides options for parents who work swing and midnight shifts.

"Some children really flourish in a home environment where the group is smaller," Ms. Smith said. "The children get more one-on-one care and their emotional and medical needs are really met. So a lot of children with medical needs utilize the program, because they do get more individual care and more medical care.

"We also offer excellent care for people who are in the process of a permanent change of station wherein Family Support pays for the program and the provider will give more extended care to free the parents up to do what they need to do," she continued.

Many people who first come to the base are overwhelmed and that's where the PCS providers really help out, she said.

"Our mildly ill program is currently not being offered because the most recent provider, who was great, PCSed. It wasn't widely used on base so we are unsure if that particular program will continue," Ms. Smith said.

The parents who use FCC always have great feedback, she continued.

"They feel their children are given more special attention, they love the curriculum and the providers are able to take them on more field trips because it is a smaller group. It really is a closer knit family and it works great for a lot for parents," Ms. Smith said.

The providers for FCC do have a lot of training. They go through three days of initial training, and they have to be CPR and First Aid certified. The FCC administration provides a mentoring program for the providers and in-home inspections are conducted on a monthly basis. The inspections by FCC on the homes are meant to make sure they meet all safety, health and environmental standards.

"That is probably the hardest part for most providers -- the multiple inspections -- being that they are in their home and they have to keep on top of all the safety requirements," Ms. Smith said. Right now, there are three active FCC providers and three more are in training.

"Every day care setting is not for every child -- sometimes it takes a special home to make a child feel secure and safe and that's what we are here for," she said.

The Youth Programs here were rated on the School Age Program, which received a score of 89.1 percent, and on the Youth Center/Open Recreation, which received a score of 90.8.

"The Youth Programs did very well and this was the first year they were scored," said Mona Hamilton, director of Youth Programs. "The programs were about 5 points above the Air Force average, so that's great."

The program is not new, but they are being held to standards this year, unlike in the past, she said.

Ms. Dietrich reported that the School Age Program, which provides before and after school care and enrichment programs, does a great job with transitions and organization of the bus runs to schools and has excellent personnel and training records.

The children were engaged and appeared to enjoy the program activities and staff, Ms. Dietrich reported.

"The number of opportunities offered to enrich the lives of the students is wonderful and the staff has a lot offer the students with their rich experience in child care and education," Ms. Hamilton said.