New CYS director brings passion, vision to position

Photo By Erickson Barnes | Kimberly Moore-Johnson became the new coordinator for Fort Detrick’s Children and Youth Services (CYS) in January, but she has been part of the children and youth programs at Fort Detrick and Forest Glen Annex for more than a decade.  

UNITED STATES

03.18.2021

Story by Erickson Barnes 

U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Detrick

FORT DETRICK, Md. -- Kimberly Moore-Johnson became the new coordinator for Fort Detrick’s Children and Youth Services (CYS) in January, but she has been part of the children and youth programs at Fort Detrick and Forest Glen Annex for more than a decade.
Beginning her career in Germany when she was just 20 years old, she also worked with CYS programs in Texas before relocating to the D.C. metro area and beginning her service to the Fort Detrick community.
“Ultimately, I love these children and want to make a positive impact on their lives,” said Moore-Johnson. “The end goal is always the successful development of the children.”
Serving a military community that stretches from Frederick to Wheaton and all the way to the Pentagon; however, presents a unique challenge.
“It starts with readiness,” said Moore-Johnson. “Parents can’t focus on their military mission if their most important duty isn’t taken care of. Knowing that their child is in a healthy, safe learning environment while they go off to work allows them to focus on that mission.
“In every different area, whether it be in sports and fitness, or the youth center, or either of the CDCs, our management and staff really are passionate about what they do in their capacity,” she added. “We are proud to support those who are serving our nation.”
Understanding that every parent has their own individual expectation for their child, Moore-Johnson simply asks that they allow her team the opportunity to show what they do so well and how they get results.
“Trust our experts to help your child achieve,” she said. “We can give parents the details of our curriculum, we can show them statistics, and we always keep an open door to hear any concerns from parents, but ultimately we just hope they will give us the time and opportunity to show them results in their children.
“On the other hand, we’re not just a daycare for the little ones or just an after school program for our school-age children,” she added. “We truly are a child development center at all levels. We’re engaging them and continuing to encourage them to be their best.”
Considering the role CYS plays in the community, Moore-Johnson said that an area of particular importance for her team is enhancing the youth and teen programs. She noted that the participation numbers are a little low, and while Covid-19 had an impact on that, the numbers were lower than they would have liked before the pandemic hit.
“We are going to be working hard to improve our programming and opportunities for that group, and we hope to create a place where those members of our community want to be,” she said. “We hope parents will encourage their older children and teens to take advantage of a great resource here.”
Passionate about the mission, and possessing a clear vision for the future of CYS, Moore-Johnson remains humble in her role.
“This is probably not a role that I would have sought out on my own, but I received such great encouragement and support from my peers, the community and members of the command team,” she said. “I was truly inspired to step into the role and take on the challenge.”

• Date Taken: 03.18.2021
• Date Posted: 04.06.2021 03:06
• Story ID: 393136
• Location: US