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Walking into the classroom, eyes immediately swarmed my direction as tiny voices started asking 20 questions from who I was to why I was there.
As they continued to ask questions, the children pointed out what pictures they were drawing or what they were coloring.
This was the scene at the new child development center here as about 100 children were temporarily relocated to the Ramstein CDC, starting Aug. 16, while their facility on Vogelweh is being renovated.
“It’s basically a total overhaul of that CDC to include fire and health, and then the beautification of the current facility … new wall, flooring, bathroom carpeting,” said Dorothy Choate, 86th Services Squadron Airman and Family Services Flight chief.
Besides beautifying the facility, Mrs. Choate said the facility will also be brought up to standards from its previous use as an enlisted club.
“In other words, for health and safety, that means a sprinkler system, closed-circuit TV systems, bathroom facilities and accessibility needs,” she said. “Also, it’s going to (update) rooms not in use, because they do not meet the standard required to support our needs.”
To ease the transition for the children, several staff members also moved to the temporary location.
“(We) moved the care staff with the children from Vogelweh to Ramstein to ensure they had continuity of care with the caregivers they were familiar with,” said Josie Cordova, CDC Family Child care manager. “We also moved the administrative staff and curriculum specialists from the program, so (the children) have familiar management as well as trainers on site to assist with developmentally appropriate practices.”
The upgrade of Bldg. 1029 on Vogelweh will provide an additional 24 slots and is part of a phased Emergency Intervention Construction Project. The project also includes the new Ramstein CDC annex, Bldg. 832, and an addition to the infant/toddler facility at Bldg. 800, along with some school-aged buildings.
“It’s a phased plan that’s going to span across several months,” Mrs. Choate said. “So, it’s going to be approximately 16 months from (Sept. 1) when we will see a drastic increase in child care spaces.”
The renovation is scheduled to be complete by April 2011 at which point children will be moved back to the facility, except for those who are part of Ramstein families who requested child care at a Ramstein facility. From there, children from the infant/toddler facility will move into Bldg. 832 as a four-classroom facility is added to Bldg. 800, increasing the facility by 64 slots.
Mrs. Choate said once all the projects are complete, the KMC will see an addition of 296 slots, including school-age care.
“What I want to ensure families understand is we still need to grow to meet the total need,” she said. “As the KMC grows, infrastructure has to follow with that. We’re working diligently to create child care spaces in the KMC to meet the growing demand.”
Currently, 35 dual-military/single-parent dependents are awaiting child care in the KMC. Although wait list times vary from category and facility, the average wait time is presently about three months.
