JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- CDC Closure Announcement:
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst leadership has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and daily considering how it may impact our Child Development Center operations. Their focus has been two-fold: enable the CDC to remain open for essential personnel and keep our children and staff safe.
Over the past few weeks, the CDC has implemented extra cleaning and risk management precautions. Most recently, they implemented a screening process prior to facility entry.
Though we have not had a positive case in the CDC, we now see a significant increase in COVID-19 cases across New Jersey (3,675 as of 24 March), including significant numbers of cases in our surrounding communities.
Thus, after careful consideration of the local situation (to include the closure of off-base childcare facilities earlier in this pandemic) and consultation with the Public Health Emergency Officer, the installation commander has made the decision to close the CDC, with Thursday, March 26 being the last day of care. Family Child Care Providers will remain in operation; however, they are full and not accepting additional children at this time.
We understand this closure presents difficulties for our military families and units across the Joint Base. The Child Care Coordinator team is standing by to provide other options to help mitigate this burden while keeping the health of the children in mind for our team-mates. We also encourage affected members to communicate with their commanders and supervisors regarding this issue who are actively employing the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst commander’s direction to maximize telework to the greatest extent possible. The Child Care Coordinator team can be reached at 903-748-4062.
“We’ve made this closure decision with the health and safety of our children and staff in mind,” said Col. Bridget Gigliotti, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst commander. “We believe that as a community, we can work together to get through this challenging situation and keep the mission going.”
For all affected families (including parents affected by COVID-19 related circumstances), their children will not lose their CDC space. Parents will not be charged fees for lost time, and if payment has already been made a credit will be rendered. Billing will also be paused until the decision is made to reopen our CDCs.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we strive to keep our children and staff safe while also balancing mission assurance.