For military parents working all hours, 'day' care isn't enough

NORFOLK

At 9 p.m., while most children are sleeping, 3-year-old Carl Porter could be working on an art project. A few hours later, he might be playing with blocks.

And after a few more hours and some breakfast, it’s time for his parents to collect him and his 1½ -year-old sister, Leilani, from the new 24/7 child care center at Norfolk Naval Station. Then they all head home for some sleep.

It’s an unusual schedule for small children, but that’s part of life when mom and dad are in the military.

Petty Officer 1st Class Carl Porter works at the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Center. Petty Officer 2nd Class Norma Porter serves aboard the amphibious assault ship Wasp. Neither works a regular eight-hour day. Sometimes they start work early. Sometimes they work late, or even overnight.

These demanding schedules are common in the military and can complicate family life. Compounding the problem is that, because of frequent moves, it’s unlikely that a family will have friends or relatives nearby to help with child care.

“The only option is us,” said Greg Young, a Navy child and youth program manager in Washington.

Child care – especially after-hours and drop-in or respite care – is among the top five issues affecting families, according to the National Military Family Association.

Navy officials say they’re trying to address the problem by adding 7,000 child care spaces nationwide and opening 31 child care centers, including several always-open centers in Hampton Roads, San Diego and Hawaii.

About eight years ago, child care centers had extended hours but did not cover overnight shifts. Certified in-home care, offered since the early 1970s, had limited availability, Young said.

“Back then, a lot of people didn’t want to come here because of child care,” said Renee Grant, the child and youth program director at Norfolk Naval Station. “There was a long waiting list.”

About 200 people gathered to hear from Navy families at a family team summit in 2002. Out of that summit came the idea of combining aspects of in-home and center care – to offer a homelike environment in an otherwise traditional child care facility. The Navy tested it in Norfolk and Hawaii.

The Navy’s first 24/7 center in Norfolk opened in November 2003 in a building next to the base’s traditional child day care center. It was a hit with parents.

“We were providing a home-away-from-home environment,” Grant said. “It was really providing a comfort to our military.”

Last month, the original 24/7 center was renovated and a new center opened on the base.

A third center opened April 5 at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story. A fourth is scheduled to open at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center in October.

Two other centers will open in Hawaii – one of the original test sites – and San Diego.

The Navy decided where to open the round-the-clock centers based on the number of sailors in the area whose jobs involve standing watch, a duty that must be carried out 24 hours a day.

Fleetwide, these child care centers are just a handful of 31 new centers planned. Yorktown Naval Weapons Station has opened a traditional child care center and others are planned for Norfolk Naval Station, the Fort Story campus of the Joint Expeditionary Base, and Oceana Naval Air Station.

Classrooms are also being converted to accommodate children younger than 3, who represent the highest demand.

By the end of 2011, the Navy hopes to reduce a child’s time spent on a waiting list to three months or less to meet 80 percent of the potential need.

Currently, the average wait is 10 to 12 months for children younger than 2 and five to six months for toddlers and preschool-age children.

Requests for child care can now be made online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Navy also has partnered with the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies to help service members find civilian care off-base through “Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood” and “Operation Military Child Care,” which provide subsidies to deployed families using licensed child care.

Carl and Leilani had been going to the newest Child Development Center at Norfolk Naval Station for a few days when their mother got to see them settling into their new routine.

While their father carried Leilani, young Carl made his own way from the front door to the boys’ bedroom. His father followed and watched as his son took off his small blue backpack and put it into his cubby.

His mother said, “Show me where you sleep – your big boy bed.”

Carl sleeps in the boys’ room, decorated in primary colors and athletic gear. The neighboring girls’ room is pink and bright green with flowers and butterflies.

Leilani sleeps in a room filled with cribs.

The child care center also has a living room, play room, large kitchen, dining room and a playground in the backyard.

“We want it to feel like a home away from home,” Grant said.

Children aged 6 weeks old to 5 years old are dropped off in advance of mom, dad or both heading to work at any hour of the day or night. The children’s schedules are set for each shift, with activities, lessons and meals.

Whether the children nap or sleep at all is up to the families.

“We pretty much go on the child’s schedule,” Grant said.

On average there are eight children in the center at a time with at least two teachers – more if there are additional children younger than 2.

Parents can use the center up to 60 hours per week, but only during working hours.

While some younger children were sitting in high chairs eating their dinner, Carl got to work in the playroom. Leilani was handed over to a teacher and began wailing.

Tears began to well up in her mother’s eyes and then she quickly walked outside of the child care center with her husband.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she wiped away a tear. “That’s hard to hear.”

“We’re just grateful they have this,” she added.

Lauren King, (757) 446-2309, lauren.king@pilotonline.com