TACOM Chief of Staff Col. Steven Carozza along with Garrison Manager Carrie Mead, stopped by the Detroit Arsenal Child Development Center Friday, Jan. 27 for an award presentation.
They presented caregiver Marie Vigue with a Garrison Manager’s coin for her quick, life-saving actions.
The incident occurred Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the CDC. A young child began gasping for air and turning blue while eating. Vigue reacted quickly by flipping the child over and administering back blows to dislodge the food. The child recovered quickly.
“Our CYS staff are well trained, prepared and ready for action on a daily basis,” said Tanya Blatz, Child & Youth Services Coordinator. “Caring for young children in a classroom setting is exceptionally hard work and not everyone is cut out to do it. Our dedicated CYS staff go above and beyond every day and this is just another example how hard work, training and quick action makes a difference in the lives of our children. Thank you to all CYS staff who have had to put their training to use and make quick decisions like this.”
The CDC is an on-post childcare center that offers full-day, part-day, and hourly care for children in nationally accredited environments. They provide care for infants six weeks old through ages 10 years old. The caregivers at our CDC receive countless hours of training for just such an emergency. Besides learning first aid and CPR, they receive training on communicable diseases, bloodborne pathogens, rescue medication and medical administration on a regular basis. Training is overseen by a training specialist and the CYS Nurse. The staff must show competency to pass these courses.
Also, the Detroit Arsenal Child Development Center, Selfridge Bryant Child Development Center, School Age Care Program and L’Anse Creuse Youth Services Programs all receive yearly Dept. of Defense certifications. They cannot operate without these certifications.
All CDC and CYS programs are required to have five annual inspections which include comprehensive fire, comprehensive safety, comprehensive health and sanitation, multi-disciplinary and Army Higher Headquarters within a certain timeframe. This includes unannounced inspections, which covers more than 1,000 inspection criteria and each facility is evaluated separately.
The yearly DoD certification is mandatory for the programs to operate. If a program isn’t in full compliance with requirements outlined in DODIs 6060.2 and 6060.4, it is placed on a Performance Improvement Plan. If the program fails to improve, the facility is closed.
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