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***image1***Hospital appointments, trips to grocery stores or a myriad of other things can necessitate adults being alone for good portions of the day.
It is not always conducive for parents to have children at their side.
U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern Child and Youth Services is a viable option for all families, both military and civilian, in the KMC. The CYS system has child development centers at Landstuhl, Kleber and Miesau which offer daily and hourly child care. The cost of the care is based on total family income and ranges from free to a maximum of $4 per hour.
Child and Youth Services is an integral part of the Army mission. Programs support the servicemember, which in turn, enhances Army and military readiness. In other words, a Soldier can concentrate on his or her mission knowing that their children are safe and supervised by trained and professional staff while participating in developmental programs.
Enrollment figures show 43 children currently enrolled at the Kleber CDC for daily care. And there are unlimited slots for hourly, drop-off care for those who choose it.
“I can’t tell you when the last time was that Kleber turned away a child for hourly care,” said Vivian Hayes-Hobelsberger, a CYS enrollment coordinator. “They are wide open there because it’s underutilized. There are fewer people over there.”
Miesau post has 54 children using its CDC and Landstuhl is the busiest CDC, with 134 current enrollees. Landstuhl recently moved its drop-off service from inside the hospital to within the CDC building, located near the Bismarck Tower on the high, north end of the base.
Patrons of the Landstuhl hourly care, inside the hospital, say they enjoyed the proximity of the site and the low price of the care. Operators Tiffany Hughey and Eva Hamilton say striving to create a “family atmosphere” with a “home environment” has led to development of a sizeable core of return customers.
“The hours there were from 9 to 3 p.m., but they have been extended now from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” said acting CYS Director Linda Mock. “We are not closing (the in-hospital location). We are relocating it to the Landstuhl CDC location. None of the available services will be changed.”
Rene’ Otto uses the hourly service while raising kids without her husband, who has been deployed at times downrange.
“It’s very convenient and it’s easy when you know you have a 30-minute appointment inside the hospital,” Ms. Otto said. “Most of us are sort of single-parenting it. Last year (my husband) was gone for seven months to Iraq. This is a valuable service.”
Enrollment is a simple process and can be done in a matter of a day or week. A child’s up-to-date immunization records, contact information for parents and emergency contacts, a small sign-up fee, and a one-time walk-through of the facilities are all that is required.
For details, contact the Central Enrollment and Registration Office on Pulaski Barracks at 489-6142, 489-7197, 0631-536-6142 or 0631-536-7197.
