CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Families here will have access to a new Department of Defense website designed to simplify and improve the child care request process, Nov. 18.
The Cannon Child Development Centers have joined MilitaryChildCare.com, a network tool for service members that provides access to comprehensive information about military-operated child care options worldwide.
“This website is already being used throughout the DOD,” said Denise VanDerwarker, Airman & Family Services flight chief. “Now that we have added our centers to the network, hopefully the site will become one of the first places families go when looking for care options before arriving here.”
MilitaryChildCare.com provides a single online gateway for families to access military-operated or military-subsidized child care options across any branch of service. The site also enables families to create a household profile, conduct child care searches, submit requests for care and manage their requests at any time, from any place.
This DOD initiative began in 2013 and is expected to be fully functional worldwide by September 2016; Cannon is amongst several other Air Force installations to join. The site offers families a streamlined approach to finding and requesting care, expedites child placement while reducing waitlists and provides reports that help improve programs to meet future needs.
“When families PCS [permanent change of station] to Cannon and are looking for child care, they are going to be able to go online and see information about our centers,” said VanDerwarker. “Whether it is our on-base CDC, our Chavez location or something nearby, they will be able to see available openings to hopefully help make their transition easier."
There are currently two child development centers at Cannon, one on the main base and one in the Chavez housing area. These will now be featured on the MilitaryChildCare.com website along with photos, hours of operations and general facts to make it easier for parents to gather information.
According to MilitaryChildCare.com, eligible families can search and request care for full-day and part-day options in facility-based and home-based programs for children from birth through the age of 12. Families can also remain on a preferred program’s waitlist even after being offered care or enrolling in another program.
Cannon families who are currently on a waitlist will be automatically transitioned to the new web-based system; these families will retain the original date of their request for care and all program enrollment processes will stay the same.
“We are very excited about this new update and about bringing our child care options directly to families who need them,” stated VanDerwarker. “This is a very modern-day advancement for our Air Commandos and their dependents.”
Although the website is still being updated with information from Cannon CDC staff members, families can still log on and create their profile to learn more about the MilitaryCildCare.com site. For additional information, visit the website or contact Airman & Family Services at 575-784-7650.