Youth Center Annex celebrates grand opening, National Kid's Day

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William A. O'Brien
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Team Edwards will celebrate the grand opening of the new editions that have been made to the Youth Center Annex over the past year with a ribbon-cutting ceremony during the National Kid's Day celebration at the Youth Center Annex here Sept. 11.

"We'll start with the grand-opening and open house at 3 p.m. and the kid's day events will begin at 3:30 p.m.," said Andrea Steele, Youth Programs director.

During the National Kid's Day celebration, the parents of children enrolled in youth programs can come into the classrooms and take part in activities with their children.

"Kid's day is a celebration of children," said Gwen Bown, School Age coordinator. "It's one day that we put aside to have special activities and we try to get the parents involved."

The grand opening will present two new classrooms and two playgrounds that have been constructed at the school age annex. The new classrooms will create 48 additional slots for more children to enroll in the school age program. The new playgrounds replace aging equipment no longer able to pass state regulations.

The construction took about a year to complete and the total cost of the project was around $1 million, but Ms. Bown said the enhancement it brings to the facilities is worth it.

"The upgrades are designed to meet the needs of the children," she said. "Everything in the new classrooms and playgrounds are designed for a school age child, everything's built to accommodate to them."

Ms. Steele said she is excited for this year's National Kid's Day because it will give parents an opportunity to have a guided tour of the new facilities.

"National Kid's Day is a program that nationally celebrates children. We'll have special events going on throughout the day at the Main Youth Center, the School Age Annex and the Teen Center," said Ms. Steele. "This year it will be a two-part celebration, we're celebrating Kid's Day, but in addition to that, we're celebrating the completion of the construction in time for the new school year."