OCR Text |
Show HILLTOP TIMES 717 1 CDC SHARING A STORY mum of 24 hours of training each year in child development in addition to first aid, CPR, and food handling," Neitzel said. "Many of our teachers have degrees in early childhood development or a child development associate credential." From page 1 at the existing CDC," said Toni Hansen, Chief of Airman and Family Services. "The new facility will have a capacity for about 256 more children, which means those on the waiting list and others interested in on-base childcare can begin enrollment." Top Air Force CDC The Air Force recently recognized Hill AFB's CDC for its excellence in childcare. "Our center was awarded Child Development Program of the Year for 2010 for Air Force Material Command," Neitzel said. "We have an open door policy with our families, encouraging them to join their children for daily activities as well as quarterly family events," Neitzel said. "We have an active parent advisory committee that voluntarily meets monthly to plan activities." Neitzel said teachers work collaboratively with families through a parent advisory committee, daily conversations with parents, parent-teacher conferences, and the results from a questionnaire to build individualized lesson plans based on the needs and interests of the children in the CDC's care. "Our CDC staff understands the importance of teaching children about community as we build strong relationships by participating in many community service projects in local area," Neitzel said. "We offer field trips to supplement children's learning through hands-on experiences." The CDC is open from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. "We are also open extended hours during base wide exercises," Neitzel said. "Fees for child care are based on total family income and families are afforded a discounted for multiple child enrollments." For more information, please contact the CDC at 801-777-6321. Who can use the CDC? KIM COOK/U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony Veschusio, of the 75th LRS/LGRDD, reads a story to students at the South Weber Elementary School, as a volunteer from Hill Air Force Base on Oct. 4 as part of activities held by Team Hill for Disability Awareness Month. MES Oct. 6, 2011 Eligibility for enrollment in the CDC is governed by several regulations, but "eligible patrons include active duty military personnel, DoD civilians, retirees, reservists and contractors," Hansen said. In an effort to bolster enrollment, the CDC is hosting an open house from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. on Oct. 12 at the CDC located at 5708 Mitchell Lane, Building 470. "During these times, people can stop by to ask questions, take a tour of the current CDC and submit an application for enrollment," Hansen said. Families are encouraged to submit an application sooner rather than later. "Families should take advantage of the fact that there will be child care spaces available," Hansen said. The CDC is accredited by the Department of Defense and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Both follow strict accreditation guidelines, but "only programs that provide high-quality care are granted accreditation (by the NAEYC)," Hansen said. "The CDC is a high-quality program that provides a safe and nurturing environment while promoting the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of young children," said Missy Neitzel, Child Development Center assistant director. "Our teachers receive a mini- Cultural cuisine at Ogden DLA Multicultural Day 'Passports' give patrons a taste of many stops around the globe BY ANNE MORRISON Hilltop Times staff T uesday marked the first of many hoped for multicultural days at the Defense Logistics Agency at Hill. DLA employees meandered around the building with "passports," going from culture to culture to nibble not only on bits of food, but also bits of knowledge. The event held Oct. 4 kicked off just before 11 a.m. with Col. James Kinkade, the site commander for DLA Aviation in Ogden, cutting a carrot cake. Then, participants let their passports guide them as they wandered throughout the building, having their passports marked at every station. The day was free of cost to participants and the Multicultural Day committee members manned each station with most of the food coming from family cookbooks. The members provided everything for the day, including the food, decorations and even the passports. The passports took their owners through Italy, Barbados, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Scotland and Holland, and through the Americas, including U.S., Na- tive American and African American cultural food and artifacts. Some of the more popular items at the event were the two varieties of chicken at the Barbados station, and the African American and American foods. For Barbados, the food was a sample of traditional jerked chicken and curried chicken over rice while at the African American table, collard and mustard greens and marinated chicken were given out. Caron Chavez, the cornmittee chairwoman, based the event off of one done at the DLA headquarters in Virginia. Chavez heard of the event while on temporary duty and formed a committee to get the ball rolling. Lewis Powell, one of the committee members, said he hopes to add more dimensions than just food to the day. "We're looking to do it bigger next year," he said. Chavez mirrored his sentiments, saying she hopes to hold Multicultural Day at Centennial Park next year. Jeanie Christofferson, a DLA employee, said she enjoyed matching the food with the cultures. "I'm looking forward to it again." This year, "Building a Stronger Workforce Through Diversity" was the theme and 100 people Above, Tommy Espinoza served up homemade tamales at the Mexican station with Michelle Eklund (center) as participants came around at the DLA Multicultural Day event. Left, Sherri Walker shows Bill Hartman photos from a 2009 trip to Scotland. ALEX R. LLOYD/U.S. Air Force signed up for passports while 200 were printed in total. Toward the end of the event, Chavez said all the passports were handed out. "I'm so glad it turned out well," Chavez beamed, saying she was happy to be a part of coordinating the event. "We have such a diverse culture here within out DLA family," she said. Fellow committee member Gloria Robinson said she was surprised at the turnout, "It was our first time, and it was a hit." |