Child and Youth Programs at Naval Station Newport Serve 217 Families

NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) -- A dedicated team of professional staff at the John F. Kennedy Child Development Center (CDC) and the School Age Care (SAC) Center at Naval Station Newport provide high quality child care and educational and recreational youth programs for 279 children.

"We try to meet the needs of all military and DoD families," said Ashley Caliri-Martins, Child Development Center (CDC) assistant director.

Military child development programs are nationally recognized as a model for child care reform, largely as a result of the Military Child Care Act of 1989. The legislation helped to increase the quality, availability, and affordability of child care for DoD families.

The CDC, located in building 1376 that overlooks Narragansett Bay, is one of four Child and Youth Programs (CYP) at Naval Station Newport that serves the needs of military and DoD civilian employee families with child care services at a reasonable cost. The CDC provides full-day care in a developmentally-appropriate learning environment for children ages six weeks through five years.

The CDC has a child population of 214 and serves 160 families.

"The children benefit from a curriculum that offers consistency with classroom setting, teaching staff, and programs," Caliri-Martins said.

"We encourage parent involvement in their child's learning experiences," she said. Each CDC classroom publishes a weekly calendar of activity that keeps parents informed.

The School Age Care (SAC) program offers before and after school care for ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 12 years. During the summer, the SAC program offers summer camp which runs from June through August for children ages 5 (must have completed (kindergarten) to 12 years. The SAC program is located in building 1297 that is adjacent to the CDC.

SAC provides services to 57 families and has a current enrollment of 65 youth.

The Navy Child Development Homes (CDH) program, established to enhance and expand the childcare services available to Navy families, provides flexibility to parents needing full-time, weekend, evening or intermittent care for their child. Part-time and hourly care fees are set by a certified CDH provider for children six weeks through 12 years.

CDH program has one certified child care provider in the Coddington Cove family housing area.

Teen Center, located on the second floor of building 1297, features open recreation along with scheduled activities and special events.

A SAC program, Torch Club is a pre-teen program for children ages 9-12. Club activities engage the children through community service projects and encourages them to be active young citizens.

"The kids in the Torch Club are very involved," said Andrew Riley, program assistant and Torch Club leader.

The 12 club members meet weekly. Members learn to elect officers quarterly for the positions of president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary; and work together to plan activities in four areas: service to the club and community, education, health and fitness, and social recreation.

"The Torch Club is a powerful vehicle through which club staff help meet the special character development needs of younger adolescents at a critical stage in their life," Petrone said.

During the past year, club members traveled to the University of Rhode Island to make Hero-Packs for the children of military families as part of Operation Military Kids; helped with base cleanup during Earth Day 2012; and created Valentine cards for the residents of St. Clare's Nursing Home, Middletown, R.I.

A teen program for youth ages 9 through 18 is offered Friday evenings, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"The success of our Child and Youth Programs is due to the training that our staff members receive, the programs we offer, and the partnerships that we have formed with organizations in the community," said Gina Petrone, Youth Director with CYP Oversight.

"We try to bring a sense of family to create a happy and healthy environment for the children and families we serve," she said.

"We also help parents make connections to the local public and private schools through the school liaison officer," said Andrea Kinsella, program lead.

The goals of the Department of the Navy and Navy Child and Youth Programs are to assist commanders and families in balancing the competing demands of family life and military readiness, and to improve the economic viability of the family unit.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.