JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- This May, Chin’an JBER highlighted Child and Youth Program staff and Anchorage School District teachers at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
These care providers, staff and school faculty share a passion for caring for and educating children, and are critical to the JBER mission.
“We can't expect our people on JBER or in the military to do their jobs to get the mission done if we’re not providing the best possible care for their families,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jennifer Mack, the 673d Force Support Squadron commander. “That's what our providers do every single day. We've got such dedicated, incredible, caring, compassionate people taking care of our families while we're going to work.”
On JBER there are five Child Development Centers, two School Age Centers, two Youth/Teen Centers, numerous providers of Family Child Care and five elementary schools.
CYP programs and FCCs follow Air Force-directed curricula implementing lesson plans and learning activities focusing on social development, physical movement, and educational opportunities such as STEM — science, technology, engineering and math, said Heather Weafer, the 673d FSS Chief of Child and Youth Programs. Children receive the same level of child care, whether they are enrolled at a center or in an FCC home because all providers, FCC or center-based, receive the same level of training and support.
Whether entering a center as a parent or to report to work, the staff’s passion for caring for children and supporting JBER families is unmistakable.
“I love building a connection with each individual child, their families and my team,” said Jessica Camacho, a Denali CDC senior educational technician. “[And I love] being a part of the children’s lives at this moment of their lives and watching them develop skills to make positive choices or challenge us as educators to step outside the box, to discover what we can change to help this child grow.”
While CDCs are more well-known, some may not be aware of JBER’s Youth/Teen Centers.
With one on each side of the installation, these centers use Boys and Girls Clubs of America and 4-H curricula, and offer scholarships such as Youth of the Year, Weafer said. Each Youth/Teen Center has a gym and open recreation areas, and offers tutoring and assistance with homework. Recreation specialists lead activities including photography, cooking, 3-D printing, sewing, quilting, field trips, and more.
The JBER community is also supported by two school liaison program specialists who connect incoming families with school-age children to schools and resources. When a military family is departing, they put the family in contact with a school liaison office at the gaining installation to facilitate the children’s transitions between schools.
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers, care providers and school liaisons implemented virtual teaching and learning, and helped students, parents and each other navigate the new school and childcare environment. Many SAC staff, who typically would have worked part time, worked full time to provide all-day care and manage individual students’ virtual learning schedules.
“This past year has been a testament to the Child and Youth Programs’ staff and their dedication to the JBER military families and meeting the mission,” Weafer said. “They come in every day to not just provide quality child care, but to provide a level of care that provides a safe, loving and nurturing environment for JBER's children. I feel privileged to be a member of this team.”
U.S. Air Force Col. Kirsten Aguilar, JBER and 673d Air Base Wing commander, proclaimed 2021 a year for Chin’an JBER, using the Dena’ina language word for “thank you” to express gratitude to Alaska Natives for hosting the military installation on their traditional lands, and to thank the personnel who work tirelessly to serve the JBER community. To express your appreciation to these personnel, please submit a comment via the ICE link: https://ice.disa.mil/index.cfm?fa=card&sp=144947