TOP STORY >> New CDC opens its doors

By Staff Sgt. Juan Torres
314th Airlift Wing public affairs


Little Rock Air Force Base’s newest Child Development Center officially opened its doors with a ceremony Feb. 20.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by Sen. Blanche Lincoln; Rep. Vic Snyder (D-AR); Brig. Gen. Wayne A. Schatz, 314th Airlift Wing commander, and various community leaders and representatives. During the ceremony, General Schatz and Sen. Lincoln said they were both grateful to the child caregivers in attendance for the nurturing they provide to the children under their care.

“You are really the ones that make this happen,” said General Schatz. “It’s your hearts and your care that ensure our children are well cared for while our Airman are at work.”

“We have jobs to do, we want to do them, we want to give 150 percent, but we also know we can’t do that unless we know our most treasured blessing in this world is being cared for,” said Sen. Lincoln.

Rep. Snyder (D-AR) also applauded the base's goal of providing the highest standards of childcare.

“There is nothing that gets a parent more than dropping their kids off at a facility and getting a feeling of uneasiness that the quality is not where it should be,” he said. The new CDC’s construction was overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers’, Little Rock District, and was designed as a friendly, home-like environment, includes a full kitchen and is arranged for future growth and additions.

The facility also includes many safety and security features including rubberized playground safety surfaces, rounded edges on all interior surfaces to prevent injuries and a closed-circuit security system that will be used to monitor children’s activities. “Parents at Little Rock should be proud of their CDC,” said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Collins, 314th Services Squadron commander. “This new facility is a big step toward taking even better care of our people and one of the chief of staff's highest priorities. This is a very big deal for parents.”