- Staff
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All of our staff must complete national and local background checks. Staff must also complete required training in First Aid, CPR, child abuse prevention, and the Army Child Development Training Modules to reach their target level pay grade. Once that the target level has been completed, 24 annual training credits are required. Each center has a full-time training and curriculum specialist assigned to them to train staff and assist them in the professional development.
- Program
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All of our child Development Centers are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. We provide developmentally age appropriate activities for children 6 weeks to 5 years old. As part of our program children are provided breakfast, lunch and dinner with the menus being approved by a registered dietician.
- Curriculum
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The best way to describe Army Curriculum is a combination of Developmentally Appropriate Practice and Creative Curriculum. Developmentally Appropriate Practice is a child-centered, child-initiated and teacher-supported program. The Creative Curriculum program allows for meaningful and long-lasting learning involving active thinking and experimenting to find out how things work. This is best accomplished through purposeful play facilitated by highly intentional teaching practices. Both practices require each child to have a primary caregiver who observes and documents the child's interests, strengths and abilities and builds the curriculum around that. Observations allow us to offer an individualized program that will support school readiness for children by expanding their play into learning experiences.
Pre-K Program
The Army's Strong Beginnings Pre-K is a program designed to prepare children to be successful to enter kindergarten. Curriculum focuses on the social, emotional, and physical development of your child and equips them with basic academic (language, reading, math, and social studies) and "Kindergarten Classroom Etiquette" skills to enhance "school readiness." Pre-K Strong Beginnings Program is for ages 4 to 5. The program is offered at CDC I and CDC III. To register contact Parent Central Services.
Hourly Care
Fort Meade MWR - CYS hourly care services are available at:
- Child Development Center (CDC) I - Currently closed for renovation
- Child Development Center (CDC) III
- Child Development Center (CDC) IV
- and Family Child Care (FCC)
CDC hourly care hours are from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. FCC hourly spaces are based upon provider availability.
Spaces are limited and are available based on regular users' cancellations.
Register with CYS Parent Central Services at 1900 Reece Road.
For reservations, log on to WebTrac or call the following:
- CDC I +1(301)677-5201
- CDC III +1(301)677-1530
- CDC IV +1(301)677-9438
- Family Child Care - based on provider
- Basic Care Items - IMCOM Form 33
- Meal Benefit Application
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- Letter to Parents (PDF)
- Instructions (PDF)
- Application Form (PDF)
- CDC Menu
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- Menu for the Child Development Centers (PDF)
- Infant Menu (PDF)
For information on how to request child care, please call Parent Central Services at +1(301)677-1104 or +1(301)677-1149 or visit their webpage here.
* CDC I and CDC Home are currently closed.
Get information for Child and Youth Services (CYS) - Fort Meade
Our Mission is Caring
Army Child, Youth and School Services programs exist to support military readiness by reducing the conflict between a Soldier's mission requirements and his or her parental responsibilities.
To support this mission we offer full day, part day, hourly care, and a Pre-K program which provides children a rich, stimulating environment where children can develop motor, cognitive, social and emotional skills through a balance of exploration and planned curriculum. Learning activities are designed to support the natural development of children and include individual, small group and large group exercises.
