Fort Meade Child, Youth & School Services
Although Fort Meade doesn't appear to be a mega-base, it is considered to be based on the quantity of people stationed here. Consequently, CYSS at Fort Meade is sized to represent that fact. Fort Meade has three Child Development Centers, and the base expects two more centers to be built within the next three years. The base has one School Aged Center (SACC) which is at capacity. While at Fort Meade, several people mentioned that this program was also due to expand to a much larger facility. The base also has a Youth Center (serving middle school students) and a Teen Center (serving high school students). The base has a large Family Child Care program which averages 30-40 homes. The base also offers Parent Central Services, School Liaison Services, Sports & Recreation Services, and SKIES Unlimited.
Fort Meade does not allow outside photos to be taken of children in the centers.
This explains why there are only pictures of doors and buildings.
Fort Meade does not allow outside photos to be taken of children in the centers.
This explains why there are only pictures of doors and buildings.
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4216 - Headquarters
Building 4216 houses the headquarters of CYSS on Fort Meade. Everyone on base refers to this building as "4216."
This building is where my mentor, Maureen, is located. Behind her cubicle, I had a little workspace of my own for using the phone and computer. I spent the first week of my internship here becoming acclimated to CYSS and reading SOPs. Fond Memory: At my first staff call during my first week, the staff in this building jokingly told me there would be a test regarding introductions. I amazed them all by volunteering to take the "test!" I introduced them all by name and job with less than a week's time to prepare, and I got them all right! |
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Parent Central Services
PCS is located within the SACC building at Fort Meade. This service is the crux of the entire organization. If an individual is interested in CYSS programming, this would be his/her first stop. This office was one of my favorite places to work. I conducted call-outs for spaces/interviews, put together quarterly newsletters, and completed a myriad of other tasks specific to this office. I enjoyed spending the week with both the staff of this office and the parents/children who visit daily. After working in this office, I understand the importance of centralizing all registration.
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Toy Lending Library:
FCC has a lending library for providers to borrow and use items needed for childcare that they may not normally have in their homes at no cost to the provider. |
Family Child Care
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FCC:
FCC allows military community members, on- & off- post, the opportunity to provide care to children referred to them by Parent Central Services. |
My FCC Experience:
This week was quite enjoyable for me. Each home combines a sense of diversity with a close-knit atmosphere which is clearly what makes this type of care appealing. I accompanied the trainer and directors on home visits for various purposes such as initial visits, training providers to use portfolios, and delivery of lending items. I also assisted with various tasks in the office. This unique program provided an interesting week of learning for me. |
CYPA Orientation:
I made several new friends from each center the week I attended CYPA Joint Orientation. As I learned about the programs in detail, I learned about the various types of people working for CYSS. It was quite interesting to experience all the trainings that must be attended by staff members. I also enjoyed the variety of instructors and participants. I learned many things that can be easily applied to my future during CYPA training. |
SKIES Unlimited - Sports & Recreation - HIRED! - School Liaison Services
I spent one week with these four programs. In that week, I divided my time among each group and learned many things about each program.
These programs share an office in the SACC building with the other administrative offices. The Sports Program also has a 34-acre athletic complex shown at right which a myriad of fields for any given sport. |
SKIES:
I spent time with the SKIES Program Coordinator learning about how she chooses programs to offer, what programs make the most money, how she gets instructors, and what her program's goal is aside from giving quality classes to military families at discounted costs. This program is one of my favorite programs that CYSS offers. |
Sports:
I spent a day with the Sports Program Associates/Directors. We lined soccer fields, took down soccer nets, discussed the goals of their programs, and how this program differs from others. In the picture to the side, you may see that Fort Meade's teams have a mascot, the cougars. Most sports programs on base do not have a mascot or compete in county/area games. |
HIRED!:
Unfortunately, the HIRED! Program Coordinator was on leave while I was in this office. I was able to discuss his program with the office admin. We discussed the goals of the program, what each participant does, and the specifics of how to apply and choose candidates. I particularly enjoyed the success stories they shared which reaffirmed the goals of CYSS. |
SLO:
The School Liaison Officer is also acting as the Child Administrator, so we spent our time together discussing a variety of things. We discussed her roles as a SLO as well as her roles as acting Child Administrator. We also discussed how her SLO job was different than most CYSS jobs. We also attended a conference for school leaders on military kids. |