Children's center provides foundation for youth Published June 18, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Chuck Broadway 9th RW Public Affairs BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., -- Countless hours of research has been conducted and the results are in: Children learn the most during their first three-to-five years. This critical period is when a foundation is built which could lead to success later in life. The 9th Force Support Squadron's Child Development Center has educational and specialized methods in place to provide such a foundation to Beale children. Beale's CDC employs 66 people to care for the 178 children, ages six weeks to five years old, who are enrolled at the center. Their goal is two-fold by taking into consideration the needs of the child as well as the parent. "Our goal is to ensure our military and civilian members can go to work comfortably knowing their children are in a safe learning environment," said Annette Goodly, 9th FSS CDC director. "We provide full-day, high-quality child care." The child care is aimed at advancing the language, social, emotional, speech and physical development. The style of teaching is a tried and true method which allows the children to interact with everything. "Children learn best through playing," Joretta Anderson, 9th FSS CDC assistant director said. "They're hands-on learners and playing is their way of learning." Methods formally known as Developmentally Appropriate Practices are the focal point of the center's layout and teaching. According to Ms. Goodly, a big advantage of DAP is that everything centers around the child. From activities to material and equipment used, such as tables, chairs, bookshelves and bathroom facilities, everything is scaled down to make it easily accessible for the children. "Everything we do has a purpose behind it," said Ms. Goodly. "We center learning around the age and development level of the child, support their current level and scaffold them to the next." The CDC spends extra time planning out curriculums for each class and age level. Even the infants have a schedule in place that their teachers follow throughout the day. The curriculums are much like what a child will see when they leave the CDC and advance to school. "Child care is no longer babysitting," said Ms. Goodly. "We're part of the child's first [exposure to] learning and education." Because it's the first learning experience, the teachers at the CDC must be highly trained and up-to-speed on the proper ways to develop young children. "Our teachers come with an open heart, ready to learn and grow," said Ms. Goodly. "Most of them have a bachelor's degree in early child development; some even have master's degrees." Teachers are required by the Air Force to complete 15 learning modules within 18 months of beginning their position. The CDC also has trainers on hand who assess and monitor the environment to further advance the capabilities of the program. "In order for us to be successful it take a collaborative effort from parents, commanders, teachers, base leadership and other units to ensure children and their families have the best care possible," Ms. Goodly said. The effort from many agencies on base includes inspections, upkeep on facilities and support from the parents. The CDC partners with parents and allows them access to the building to come at any time to check on their loved ones. "We have an open door policy and parents are encouraged to visit classrooms and make comments or offer suggestions," Ms. Goodly said. Both buildings at the CDC are completely monitored with surveillance cameras mounted in every classroom and many other parts of the facility. Parents can come in and watch the monitors, help put the child down for a nap, or even provide audio or video footage to ease the child's mind by having their parent's voice or image with them. The CDC also offers special activities such as reading days, luaus and other social events and open houses to keep parents involved as much as possible. "I loved going to pick my kids up and when I dropped them off I knew they were in good hands," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Burdett, a 9th Communications Squadron infrastructure technician. "My daughter Kaylei was one year old when she went to the CDC and the ladies there saw her grow up and move on. They were able to walk my kids through a lot of things I couldn't and have given them a brighter future. Their social skills are great and they are doing great in school because they walked out of the CDC ready for it." In March 2009, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies released a report which compared all 50 states as well as the Department of Defense on their child care regulations and oversight requirements. The DOD received the top ranking both for its oversight and standards that protect and support children in military child development centers.