January 23, 2014 -- Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany’s Child Development Center provides a wide range of child care services and learning opportunities to children of military families, eligible civilian employees, including contractors, who work aboard the installation.
Walk into any one of the 17 classrooms at MCLB Albany’s CDC and visitors and parents will find an array of activities for students of all ages, infants to preschool
Center director, Dorothy Bryant, explained the CDC’s offering as well as the classroom structure.
“There are a total of 17 classrooms at the center, including four infant classrooms, with the ratio of four infants to one teacher per classroom,” Bryant said. “There are three early pre-toddler classrooms. This is where students are transitioning from infant to prêtoddler. This is a time where they adjust (prior to) being moved into the toddler classroom.”
“There are three classrooms for toddlers, ages 2 to 3,” Bryant continued. “There are a total of three preschool classrooms, for ages 3 to 4. These students are getting ready for prekindergarten.”
According to Bryant, the CDC’s pre-K program is a federally funded lottery program, and is governed by Georgia’s Bright from the Start Program, which is in line with the same teaching guidelines and requirements of the Dougherty County School System’s pre-K program.
“The CDC’s pre-K teaching curriculum is the same,” Bryant added. “There is a certified teacher with a maximum of 22 students, which is the same as in the Dougherty County School System classrooms. There is also a second teacher assigned to work with those students.”
Currently, there is an overflow of students in the CDC’s pre-K classroom.
To offset that ratio there is a K-4 classroom. Teaching in the K-4 classroom is the same as the instruction in the pre-K classroom.
Other provisions, which eligible family members may want to take advantage of is CDC’s after-school program as well as a pay-by-the-hour drop-in care service for military spouses who may also want to attend an event, a meeting, an exercise class, advisory board meeting or some other event.
The Sesame Street room is a classroom set aside as a multi-age group for military families, according to Bryant. This room is a drop-off service for the benefit of parents who may have been deployed.
“The Sesame Street room allows a parent, whether it’s the mother or father, to have a place to bring the child, giving the parent time to relax or regroup for the day ahead,” Bryant added.
Normal operating hours at the CDC are 6 a.m. - 6 p.m., however, there may be other special installation events, which allow parents to drop off their children outside of the normal hours of operation, such as the Marine Corps Birthday Ball and other special evening events, she said.
“There are a few vacancies in each age group,” Bryant said. “Currently, there are 135 students enrolled at the Child Development Center.”
“Services at the Child Development Center are open to all active-duty military and retired military families, civilian-Marines, including eligible contractors employed at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany,” Katie Roberts, resource and referral specialist, CDC, said.
To determine eligibility or to enroll a child, parents must pick-up an enrollment packet from the front desk at the CDC.
Prior to enrollment, other criteria must be met, such as immunization, and a health assessment, completed by a physician.
“Tours or walk-throughs are available to assist parents or guardians in making informed decisions when considering enrolling their child or children at the Child Development Center,” Roberts said.
For more information or to determine if there are vacancies in a child’s age group, call 229-639-5765.