FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (Sept. 8, 2011) -- Work has started on a new Child Development Center to alleviate crowding and better serve the population living on west post, said Carol Shafer, Fort Leavenworth Child, Youth and School Services coordinator.

The building, scheduled for completion in the summer of 2012 at the corner of Hancock and Kansas avenues, will have a capacity of 60 children from 6 weeks to age 5.

This is Fort Leavenworth's third Child Development Center. The first, at 120 Dickman Ave., has a capacity of 266 children. Across the parking lot to the north is the second Child Development Center. Post officials are planning to open the facility in October. Although it can change based on the ages of children served, the second CDC can hold about 135 children.

Shafer said even with the second and third CDCs scheduled to open within the next year, there will still be children on waiting lists.

"It's going to help us better meet the needs of Fort Leavenworth, but currently we have waiting lists for all age groups and all programs," she said.

For example, right now there are 145 children from infants to age 5 waiting to get into the CDC, Shafer said.

There is child care available outside the CDC. Family Child Care provides fully accredited in-home daycare providers on and off post. Additionally, Army OneSource works with families to find an off-post day care provider that is subsidized so families would pay the same cost they would on post, Shafer said.

"If they go to the Army OneSource website, the child care tab walks them through the steps to find a (day care) provider in the area that works for them," she said. "I know we have some families in the local area who are getting subsidized through their child care in that program."

The newest CDC is being constructed using a modular method. It was also used in the second CDC. Pieces of the building are constructed off-site, and then installed on the property at Fort Leavenworth. The intent of this ready-made construction method is to speed up the process.

Pre-construction is already taking place for the third CDC at Kansas and Hancock avenues, Shafer said. The third CDC will have a full-service kitchen and video surveillance system.

Shafer said the second CDC had initially been planned for more School-Age Services rooms, but with the changing population on Fort Leavenworth, they adapted the facility. It will have one full-day infant and pre-toddler room and house the CYSS preschool program. There will be School-Age Services for kindergarten through third grade. The SAS programs for older children will continue to meet at the Patch School-Age Services building at 320 Pope Ave.

Shafer said the second CDC is awaiting furniture and video surveillance and should be complete by October.