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Families aboard Laurel Bay have a new parental support oasis. A grand opening ceremony was held to officially open the Marine Corps Family Services Child Development Center, April 21.

Photo by Pfc. Jonah V. Lovy

New family center opens on Laurel Bay

1 May 2015 | Pfc. Jonah V. Lovy Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

Families aboard Laurel Bay have a new parental support oasis. A grand opening ceremony was held to officially open the Marine Corps Family Services Child Development Center, April 21.

The facility serves as a central hub for parent support programs held in the Tri- Command area. The center is slated to host courses and services designed to help new families transition into parenthood as well as military life.

"It’s like a one stop shop," said Kathy Harvey, a home visitor with the new parent support program. "They walk in the door, they’ve just moved here and we make sure they know about the services we offer"

The programs offered at the new building include but are not limited to:

– Play Morning Fun for Kids.

Play Morning is an activity session for children and their parents with games, toys and music. It also serves as a social environment for families who are new to the area.

"Our play mornings of help our moms and dads who move frequently, might not know anyone in the area, or who are new to the military lifestyle, meet other parents with young children so they can feel less isolated," said Susan Hall, a home visitor with the new parent support program.

– Baby Boot Camp.

This is a fun and informative class for expecting parents to learn the basics of child care from experienced professionals.

"We try to cover all the baby basics. We teach parents how to bath and diaper babies, how to make bottles and talk to them about shaken baby

syndrome," Hall said

– Home Visits

There are MCCS employees who visit homes of families on Laurel Bay to provide extra support and training for parents

"We teach parenting skills, we have a nurturing parent curriculum that we follow that’s headquarters mandated so it’s used on every Marine Corps base world wide," said Heather Stone, a home visitor with the new parent support program. "We can teach them everything from children’s growth and development, potty training, discipline techniques, and anything else they might be interested in."

For a complete schedule of MCCS programs and events visit their website at ww.mccs-sc.com, or visit their brand new facility at 1632 Laurel Bay Blvd.