CDC undergoes renovation to expand current capacity

  • Published
  • By Capt. Tricia Hill
  • 751st Electronic Systems Group
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  The Child Development Center is currently undergoing a $1.2 million construction project to renovate and expand the center's current capacity for children. 

The project, which includes the recent renovation at the School Age Program facility, was issued under the Office of the Secretary of Defense Growing Spaces initiative -- created to address the lack of affordable child care and school age care spaces across the Department of Defense. 

"The construction project has allowed a classroom to span more age groupings so the CDC can respond to the waitlist demographics at any given time," said Carolyn McCafferty, 66th Services Squadron Family Member flight chief. 

The project, which is expected to be completed by January 2008, is focusing on several areas within the CDC. One area, Ms. McCafferty said, includes the renovation of four CDC classrooms increasing the center's current capacity for children ages 6 weeks to 2 years by more than 25 percent. 

In addition, the program has allowed for 20 recently constructed spaces in the School Age Program building for the CDC's before- and after-school kindergarten care program and part-day preschool, she said. 

The before- and after-school kindergarten and part-day preschool program were recently relocated to the School Age Program building creating 44 new spaces within the CDC's building. 

Seven classrooms to service children under the age of 3 are also being renovated in the CDC. 

"Currently, there are more than 75 children waitlisted for care, which means we are only meeting 70 percent of the demand for child care at Hanscom," Ms. McCafferty said. "All of the children waitlisted are under 3, with 70 percent of them being under the age of 2. 

By spring 2008, these new spaces will allow the CDC to accommodate 90 percent of the base need and be on par with the Air Force standard." 

"The overall benefit of this project is that the CDC can accommodate additional children, which will assist families seeking affordable, quality care," Ms. McCafferty said.