Harvest Luncheons create family time Published Dec. 7, 2015 By Michelle Gigante 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Each of the child development centers here hosted their annual Harvest Luncheon in late November, a tradition that welcomes families to join their children for a festive meal. "Fostering family traditions is something the CDCs strive to do," said Martha Allen, a co-director at New Horizons Child Development Center. "The Harvest Luncheon brings parents into their child's classroom to not only see them playing and learning with their friends, but also to share a meal." Allen went on to say that sharing a meal also creates community and a cohesive experience for the children, the families and the teachers. All of the CDCs hosted luncheons to include Wright Field North, Wright Field South, Wright Care and New Horizons. Parents had the opportunity to watch their children in action, from listening to stories to singing fall jingles. "My husband and I both work full time therefore we don't see our children throughout the day like we would like," said Beth Scarff, a budget analyst in the Agile Combat Systems Simulators division, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. "These events are so extremely important to us." Scarff, also a member of the Parent Advisory Board, spoke about the importance for all families to have opportunities to spend time with their children in their respective classrooms. Allen emphasized that the mission of the CDCs is to provide a service so base personnel with children can accomplish their missions. "It is important for parents to be comfortable leaving their children in our nurturing care so that they can focus on their various missions at work," said Allen. Another experience gained from these types of events is for non-military families to connect with military families, said Richardson. "Some of the military families do not have family in the area, so while they are stationed at the base, the CDCs are really like their family," said Richardson. Scarff added that the main goal for PAB is to involve families in the CDCs because when parents are dropping off or picking up their child, there is usually not much free time to chat with the teachers. "What is great about these events is the parents get a chance to interact with the staff," said Scarff.