Eglin says new child development center in Crestview area will be ready by 2028
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE — The U.S. Air Force is continuing with plans to build a new child development center in Crestview to serve the military community north of the Eglin Test and Training Range.
On Monday, Eglin Air Force Base announced on its website that the future Crestview CDC will be designed to accommodate 250 children for military families and is expected to be completed by 2028.
In the interim, the Departments of the Air Force and Army are continuing plans to increase childcare access for families near Eglin. The Air Force joined the Florida Apprenticeship Program to increase staffing at the Eglin CDC, which saw the addition of two more classrooms, bringing the total number of children at the facility to 118.
Moreover, this initiative increased the number of Air Force-certified Family Childcare homes since last year and can care for up to 102 children. Applications for another 13 homes are being processed, allowing 72 more children to receive care.
The Army has hired a parent and outreach specialist to assist Army families with childcare needs. This fall, it will begin a one-year pilot program providing hourly, part-time or intermittent childcare for up to 100 active-duty Army families.
Both services will collaborate with Eglin's Child and Youth Programs to offer extended hours for additional care. And they also will work with local commercial childcare providers who plan to open a new childcare facility in Crestview, which is expected to open in late 2025.
Air Force and Army offices will continue to monitor the childcare system and evaluate the local community every six months, identifying whether needs are met and allowing both branches to add resources if needed.
Military officials will decide on the land acquisition for the new Crestview CDC after a National Environmental Policy Act process is completed. An Environmental Impact Statement will come in January 2025.
A draft EIS is open for public comment until Aug. 26, with a public hearing scheduled for Aug. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Warriors Hall in Crestview, 201 Stillwell Blvd.
For more information about childcare for the military community, visit militarychildcare.com.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Air Force, Army working to improve childcare for personnel near Eglin
