CDC receives new addition Published Nov. 30, 2012 By Senior Airman Sean Martin 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- The Barksdale Air Force Base Child Development Center West held its grand opening here, Nov. 30. The $5 million project began October 2011, and will house 142 children in eight classrooms. It was developed to offset, and eliminate the extensive wait list. "We received funding for this in 2009," said Betsy Welch, chief of child development programs. "CDC East is the oldest continuously operating CDC in the Air Force. The need for a new one was long overdue." CDC West will provide care to children ages 6 months to five years old. "We provide full-time care for working families," said Welch. "We also provide a part-day enrichment program for children three to five years old who come from a single income household. The program gives children an environment where they can interact with other children and gain the educational benefits that come with being around others." The new building will house all pre-school age children, along with two, two-year-old rooms, a one-year-old room and an infant room. This gives parents, with multiple children, the option to have them all in one building. "If a family has an infant and a pre-school child, they can be in the same facility," said Welch. "This will make it easier for families because their children will be in one building on base as compared to two different buildings. Col. Andrew Gebara, 2nd Bomb Wing commander, was pleased to provide this new facility to Team Barksdale and their families. "This is the pre-eminent child care facility in the state of Louisiana," said Col. Andrew Gebara, 2nd Bomb Wing commander. "It will double the amount of children the CDC will be able to care for. It is nice to know that Team Barksdale and their kids will be taken care of in the best facility that we can possibly give them."