Child, Youth & Social Services at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

The highly accredited Child, Youth and School Services, located in Building 2295, provides various services for youth and children on Joint Base Lewis McChord. If you decide to use the CYSS system, you must register your child. If your child is from birth to school age, the following must be provided: birth certificate, immunization records, and emergency contact names and numbers for at least three individuals. If your child is middle school and teen years, you must also include permission for the child to ride in any government-operated vehicle for field trips. If your children will be participating in the sports programs, you must provide proof of a physical as well as the emergency contact numbers mentioned above.

Other child care services found on Fort Lewis are as follows:

Child Development Services provide full day, hourly or part-day child care for children from birth to 12 years old. If your child has special needs, the Family Child Care service is also available with extended hours and long-term care. Also available is Short Term Child Care for parents attending meetings or functions on post. You can contact them at #(253) 967-2494 for any additional information regarding special needs. The Center is open Tues-Fri evenings.

SKIESUnlimited is a program designed to expand your child’s skill base with a variety of extracurricular activities which include dance, art, foreign languages, gymnastics, karate and many other options. It will teach your child strong social skills which can lead to increased interest in college applications and foster healthy relationships with adults outside the home. For more information, contact them at #(253) 967-2494.

Raindrops, & Rainbows, Parent and Child Play Center provides activities which include baby sign language and songs to creative art projects and fun with play dough. This program does not offer child care, and parents must provide meals, snacks and diapers for their children. Please contact either #(253) 967-2600 or 967-3056 for more information.

School Age Services is a service that offers before-and after-school programs or full day programs for summer camp or during school closures or vacations. Some of the activities offered include arts, citizenship and leadership, sports, fitness and health, mentoring, intervention and education, and life skills. Your child can join either the Boys and Girls Club of America or 4-H Clubs. Summer programs include swimming, boating, nature walks, and biking as well as other activities.

Youth Services provides league sports programs and sports clinics for Boys and Girl Clubs of America. Clubs teach citizenship, leadership, and offer excellent scholarship opportunities. Your child can participate in a Red Cross Babysitting certification course if he or she is 13 years or older. In Building 2295, there is also a wide range of sport and fitness programs including baseball, field and track, soccer and basketball. Contact #(253) 967-4441 for additional information.

Local Schools

All Soldiers with school-age children are required, upon receipt of reassignment instructions, to notify their children’s school. Make sure and retain copies of transcripts, student records, immunization records, IEP evaluations and any special education needs paperwork that may be needed.

There are five elementary schools on post and Tillicum Elementary School (off post) serves part of Fort Lewis. In order to enter kindergarten, children must have turned five years old by August 31st or must be six years old by August 31st to enter first grade.

Middle school and high school students living on post attend school off post at Lakes High School. Middle school students attend at either Woodbrook or Mann Middle School. You can contact the Clover Park School District Transportation Office for pick up and drop off points. They can be reached at (253) 583-5494 or (253) 583-5498. Contact the Schools Liaison Office in Waller Hall Welcome and Farewell Center (Room 203) for any related questions or call #(253) 967-7195.

Below is a listing of additional school districts and their contact phone numbers:

Olympia School District, #360-596-6100
Bethel School District, #(253) 683-6000
North Thurston School District, #360-493-9000
Clover Park School District, #(253) 583-5000.

Chapels

There are various options available among the on-post chapels. At the Main Post Chapel, you will find Catholic Continuing Christian Development (CCD) available. Chapel #5 provides Jewish services and social education. Several different chapels offer Protestant Sunday School and there are Protestant, Catholic and Jewish Groups who meet weekly. Call #(253) 967-4849 for additional information regarding Protestant services. You can reach the Main Chapel at #(253) 967-4849. If you do not have a unit chaplain, call #(253) 967-3126 or #967-3127.

Two special programs are available to families: the Family Life Center and a crisis intervention ministry. Both are taught by Fort Lewis chaplains. The Family Life Center also offers a marriage preparation course which is mandatory for couples planning to be married by a  military chaplain. For more info, call #(253) 967-1723.

For after-hours or emergency help, call the on-duty chaplain at #(253) 967-0015.

Red Cross

The American Red Cross, located in Waller Hall, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to active-duty military to help in the event of a critical accident, death, emergency illness or birth of a new child in the service member’s family. Through the Emergency Service Center, the service member can be reached anywhere in the world. The military will then make the decision whether or not to grant leave to the Soldier. The Red Cross can also help provide financial assistance to families. Office hours are M-F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Direct line is #(253) 966-3891 or #966-3889. The 24-hour number is 1-877-272-7337.

Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation

The FMWR is designed to provide Fort Lewis Soldiers and their families with support and leisure services including sports, recreation and entertainment as well as child and youth programs. The following are some of the options available for your enjoyment:

Dining options are provided through the Cascade Community Center and are open to everyone for lunch M-F. They offer daily lunch specials and a salad bar. The Heroes Sports Lounge is another option complete with hi-def plasmas televisions for watching the game. For private parties or other functions, call #(253) 964-0331 for more information.

Golf Course: Located just 3 miles outside the main gate on I-5 is The Eagles Pride Golf Course with a 27-hole golf course and a driving range. Golf clubs and carts are available for rent, and the clubhouse has the Lacey Creek Café for your convenience. Call (253) 967-6522 for lessons or additional information. Courses are open to the public.

Bowling: Located in Building 2272, at South 12th and Liggett Streets, the Bowl Arena offers Soldiers, retirees, families, post employees and guests 40 lanes of bowling fun, complete with a snack bar, pro shop and game room. Children, women, men and military units can sign up for league play as well. For more information, call #(253) 967-4661.

Sports and Fitness Centers: There are a variety of sports and fitness centers on post offering access to basketball and volleyball courts, free weights, racquetball, tennis, aerobic machines, swimming pools and saunas. Soldiers Field House in Building 3236 is the largest sports facility on post. Personal trainers offer services free of charge. For a schedule of activities available, call #(253) 967-4771.

Listed below are other sports facilities on post and their contact phone numbers:

  • Cowan and Memorial Stadiums (Bldg. 2170) #(253) 967-2912
  • McVeigh Sports and Fitness Center (Bldg. 2160) #(253) 967-5869
  • Sheridan Sports and Fitness Center (Bldg. 3759) #(253) 967-7311
  • Jensen Family Health and Fitness Center (Bldg. 2022) #(253) 967-5975
  • Wilson Sports and Fitness Center (Bldg. 11596) #(253) 967-7471
  • Keeler Sports and Fitness Center (Bldg. 9993) #(253) 967-6808
  • Keeler Pool (Bldg. 9993) #(253) 967-6652

Libraries: There are three libraries available on post for your convenience. With a library card, you can access over 250 magazines and newspapers online as well as over 140,000 volumes of books. The website that gives you access to the online catalog is www.lewis.army.mil/DPCA/library. Grandstaff Library is in Building 2109 on Pendleton Avenue and North 10th.  Their contact # is #(253) 967-5889. Book Patch Library is located inside Grandstaff and offers children’s reading clubs. Crittenberger Library is in Building 3271, on 2nd Division Drive, #(253) 967-2824.

Arts and Crafts Center: Located in Building 5038, between Pendleton and 2nd Street is the Fort Lewis Arts and Craft Center. The Center offers self-help classes for framing work as well as a Vehicle Resale Lot, an indoor/outdoor Boat and RV storage and an Auto Skills Development Center which includes an Engine Repair Shop. For specific information, contact the Arts Center at #(253) 967-5001.