Armed Services YMCA opens free Children's Waiting Room on Fort Bragg
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) celebrated the grand opening of its Children's Waiting Room Fort Bragg located at the Loredo Child Development Center, Oct. 1, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The program offers free, short-term childcare for families attending medical appointments on Fort Bragg.
Beginning Oct. 5, children ages 1 to 12 can be dropped off Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., for up to two hours of supervised care. The final daily drop-off is accepted at 2 p.m. Registration and childcare are completely free, and parents must register in advance through the ASYMCA website.
“Even a routine doctor’s appointment can become complicated, and sometimes impossible, when you have young children and no childcare,” said Jeremy Hester, executive director of the ASYMCA at Fort Bragg. “The Children’s Waiting Room will relieve stress, provide peace of mind, and improve show rates for the hospital, but most importantly, it will improve quality of life for military families.”
Retired Navy Vice Adm. William French, president and CEO of the ASYMCA, emphasized that the Children's Waiting Room is among the organization's most important programs. French cited data demonstrating that more than half of military spouses have rescheduled or missed a medical appointment due to childcare constraints. He noted that another military treatment facility with an existing Children's Waiting Room saw a 30 percent reduction in missed appointments after its first year of operation.
"It's not only good for Soldiers and families, it's also good for the hospital," French said.
Funding for the Fort Bragg program was provided in part by Navy Federal Credit Union alongside local community partners.
Col. Kane Morgan, Womack Army Medical Center commander, extended his appreciation to the ASYMCA and its partners for turning this vision into a reality. “This grand opening represents nearly two years of dedicated work and collaboration across multiple organizations,” Morgan said. “What we do at WAMC is unique: We have the privilege of caring for Soldiers, their families, and the broader military community. The Children’s Waiting Room is an important addition to that mission. It provides a welcoming, supportive space for children and helps ease the experience of families who come to Womack for care.”
Victoria Wynkoop, who attended the event with her grandson, said she looks forward to him utilizing the room while his mother attends medical and dental appointments.
"It's just fabulous that there is a safe place where she can bring him and he can play with other kids and be supervised," Wynkoop said. For more information about the Children’s Waiting Room at the Loredo Child Development Center, Building 401 on Stiner Road, visit fortbragg.asymca.org.
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