LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif -- We celebrated our youth all month long in support of the Month of the Military Child. Events included the Child & Youth Program driving parade in Fort MacArthur Housing, Bubble Parade around the Schriever Courtyard, Teddy Bear Clinic at the CDC, Dental Clinic visit, and planting flowers with the 61st Civil Engineer and Logistics Squadron for Earth Day.
Ms. Joanna Luna, Child Development Center Director, 61st Force Support Squadron, maintained the tradition of the Teddy Bear Clinic in support of the Month of the Military Child on April 26, 2024. Where approximately 83 children from the CDC brought their most favorite stuffed animal or toy from home to visit the make believe “clinic” for a check-up.
Upon arrival to the “clinic”, each child received a patient card for volunteers to fill out when they rotated through each station. Volunteers demonstrated how to care for their stuffed animal by checking their eyes and ears, taking their temperature, measuring their height and weight, and providing immunizations.
The clinic was the perfect mesh of pretend and reality, helping them to learn what to expect when visiting the doctor and getting to play doctor for the day.
Luna shared her motivation to support the tradition of the activity each year during the Month of the Military Child, “It is important to both show children how routine check-ups are and spend time with our military kids outside the traditional classroom setting. What better time than during the Month of the Military Child?”
Children also had the opportunity to visit the Dental Clinic, experiencing sitting and laying back in the treatment chair, learning about the suction, and the air/water 3-way syringe, which are all used in a routine dental exam. The children also practiced brushing and flossing on the Finn-Z Dental Fish.
This was Dr. Heather Baughman’s second year participating in this event, “we love hosting the kiddos from the CDC for these visits. It’s important for them to not be afraid to go to the dentist. It also allows us to teach them to properly brush and floss at a young age.”
The Month of the Military Child occurs every April and honors the more than 1.6 million military children who face many challenges and unique experiences as a result of their parents’ service.
Space Base Delta 3 is home to Space Systems Command (SSC) who is the U.S. Space Force field command responsible for acquiring and delivering resilient war fighting capabilities to protect our nation’s strategic advantage in, from and to space. We manage a $15.6 billion space acquisition budget for the Department of Defense and work in partnership with joint forces, industry, government agencies, academic, and allied organizations to accelerate innovation and outpace emerging threats. Our actions today are making the world a better space for tomorrow.