Action line 80810 - Child care Published Sept. 22, 2008 By Anonymous 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- Complaint: I have been experiencing difficulty with finding child care for my son since the nannies now have to go through a company. The CDC has no openings for at least six months. I've been told it could take up to two months before a room is open for my son's age group at the CDC. There are no FCC providers that provide full time care and there are no FCC classes planned to start despite interest for people looking to help with this problem. It's bad enough we're away from home, but why should families suffer simply because no plan was put in place once the Turkish government announced their new policy. Military members and spouses shouldn't be penalized for having children but that is exactly what is happening here. If this place has a problem with providing care for families it should be a remote. Since little is being done to fix this and no end in sight my family is considering using the early return of dependants program and we've been here almost a month. Response: I appreciate your concern over the availability of child care at Incirlik, I have shared that concern for many months now. Changes in the hiring practices of nannies and a lack of available child care staff resulted in the CDC's inability to meet the immediate need for child care, but you are mistaken that no plan is underway. I must say the CDC adapted quickly and made great strides in a very short time, nearly doubling the child care offered to children under 5 and the Youth Center has tripled care for children K-12 years. Over the last two months the Force Support Squadron worked successfully to staff and open two new rooms. This provided child care for an additional 20 full time preschool children and 15 toddlers! I'm unsure why you're experiencing difficulty in hiring a nanny. Although they may cost more than in the past, they are still easily obtainable (and remarkably cheaper than in the States or Europe!) The process to hire a nanny through one of the below companies is quite simple. One person who recently hired a nanny was able to work with the company and have her on base within 5 work days (which included a Turkish Holiday). Yapici Ltd. Company (Ahmet's): Istasyon Cad. No. 197 (also located in the BXtra) 332-9152 yapici@bnet.net.tr Cenkar: Ataturk Cad. No. 313/C 332-9669 cenkartravel@sistemd.com Eray: Ataturk Cad. No. 85 332-9614 www.ajaxeraytur.com Thanks for bringing your concerns to our attention and please contact our Force Support Squadron if we can be of further assistance. I'm sure you will be able to obtain child care and remain in Turkey to enjoy all it has to offer!