ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - A new Child Development Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground North (Aberdeen) is expected to open up 40 jobs and add an additional 130 child care slots.

The construction is in response to APG's booming population as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act. As a result of BRAC, more than 4,500 jobs have transferred to the APG.

Construction of the new facility kicked off in March and is slated for completion in December.

Ruth Strauss, CYSS coordinator, said the existing APG North center, housed next to the main post chapel, will remain open during and after the new facility's construction. The existing center serves about 180 children and was recently renovated.

To provide the program with continuity, some staff members at the current facility will move to the new facility. Still, Strauss said Child Youth and School Services is expected to hire about 40 new employees to staff the new center.

"All of the new staff will undergo an extensive training program and will have time to shadow and be mentored by experienced staff members," Strauss said.

The new center will come fully equipped, and will be very similar in design to existing CDCs at APG North and APG South (Edgewood).
The centers are built to US Army Center of Standardization guidelines, "so that when a child moves and goes to a new CDC they will experience a sense of familiarity," explained Strauss.

Currently there is a waiting list for enrollment into the CDC and summer camp programs. Strauss said CYSS plans to expand the summer camp program in 2012.

The installation's Parent Central Office, on the second floor of Bldg. 2503, is being used as a resource and referral office for parents seeking local child care and summer camps. Information on how military and civilian Families can qualify for subsidized child care is also available.

Active duty parents receive a free membership to Sittercity, an online resource that connects Families with local in-home care providers, including nannies, eldercare providers, dog walkers and more. Visit www.sittercity.com/dod.

Parents may also use Family Child Care. FCC provides small group care in certified homes in installations housing areas and throughout Harford and Cecil counties.

To enroll in an FCC home, call 410-278-7477/7140. For information on CYSS programs, call 410-278-7571/7479.