Fort Wainwright opens Army’s biggest child care center

Fort Wainwright Child and Youth Services Coordinator Jessica Spittle explains nan age-appropriate and child-safe creation of 1 of nan caller CDC’s classrooms. (Tim Ellis/KUAC)

Fort Wainwright will observe nan opening of its caller Child Development Center coming pinch a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The $3.5 cardinal installation is nan Army’s newest and largest child-care center.

Active-duty subject unit and qualifying national labor who activity astatine Fort Wainwright now person entree to a new spacious and colorful on-post child-care action for infants done kindergarten-age kids.

Little kids request small fixtures, for illustration these knee-high sinks and toilets successful a younger-children bathroom. (Tim Ellis/KUAC)

“It’s a really awesome facility” says Post spokesperson Eve Baker, “and it’s nan only installation of that type among nan Army kid improvement centers.”

Baker says nan 42,930-square-foot child-care halfway is nan Army’s largest. And it’s designed to beryllium utilized for some kid attraction and early puerility education. That’s why 22 of nan rooms for kids are referred to arsenic classrooms.

“The halfway will person room for 284 children, from infants done property 5 – for preschool children and kindergartners,” she said.

Baker says nan Child Development Center, aliases CDC, will make kid attraction disposable for kids whose parents person been waiting for a abstraction to unfastened up.

“It will clear nan waiting database for nan different 2 accommodation that we have,” she said, “and location will still beryllium plentifulness of room for further children to travel in.”

The brightly lit CDC’s classrooms are furnished pinch age-appropriate chairs and desks and fixtures to accommodate nan different property groups. It besides has each nan basal grown-up amenities for unit and parents, for illustration administrative offices, break room and a laundry.

Much of nan artwork for nan caller CDC is intended to bespeak nan region’s indigenous cultures. The moose astatine correct serves arsenic a benignant of mascot for nan CDC, which is named Deneege Child Development Center, aft nan Tanana connection for moose. (Tim Ellis/KUAC)

“As good arsenic a nursing room for unit aliases for parents who whitethorn want to sojourn their infants during nan day,” Baker added.

And there’s besides a 3,000-square-foot multipurpose room.

“Small groups tin travel successful and usage it, they tin do sports, they tin tally around,” she said, “It tin beryllium an removal abstraction successful nan arena of an emergency.”

And passim nan CDC, there’s beautiful artwork that celebrates Alaska history and culture.

“Our caller installation is named nan Denegee Child Development Center, and that is simply a Tanana connection for moose,” she said. “We worked intimately pinch our Alaska Native tribal partners to travel up pinch an due sanction for nan center.”

Baker says kids will beryllium surrounded by artwork, overmuch of which was created by members of nan section arts community.

She says child-care providers willing successful moving successful nan caller CDC tin interaction Fort Wainwright’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation office.