Hourly care changes at the Child Development Center Published March 13, 2007 By Kc Radloff 7th Services Squadron Family Member Programs flight chief DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Beginning March 26, hourly child care will be available at the Child Development Center from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. in addition to the CDC's usual hours of operation, which are from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The cost for hourly child care is $3.50 regardless of the age of the child or the income of the parents. Late pick-up fees are assessed after 5 p.m. Reservations may be made up to two weeks in advance, and short-notice reservations (within 48 hours of needed care) are accepted on a space-available basis. No more than three reservations per child may be on the books at any one time. The adjustment for the hourly care program is based on peak hours of operation during the past 10 months since the room opened for children ages 6 weeks to 35 months. The advantage of having the dedicated room for children in that age range is that the center can accept reservations two weeks in advance and they have the guaranteed space for up to 14 children. Since opening, less than five percent of the hourly care has actually been in the room -- most children are accommodated in regular rooms due to vacant spaces. In the last year since the hourly care room opened at the CDC, almost 6,000 hours of hourly child care has been provided to the Dyess community. Children who are being cared for at the CDC must be within the appropriate age range, be a military or DoD civilian family member, and have proof of immunization. The CDC recommends that parents who need the hourly child care pick up the necessary forms from the CDC in advance and have them on file there. For more information, contact Ms. Radloff at 696-5530 or the CDC at 696-4337.