Registration Fees Waived
Good news! As of Feb 08, there are no registration fees for the Child Development Centers, Family Child Care, Youth Centers, or Hourly Care facilities. Visit the Parris Island CDC today or call 228-3514 for information.

Child Care Openings
MCRD Parris Island CDC has openings for Part Day Enrichment, and Two Year Olds.

Toddler Full Day
We have openings for our full-day Toddler 2-year old class. Come let your child experience the wonderful world of toddlers, through guided play and exposure to an array of stimulating age-appropriate activities.

Part Day Enrichment
0900-1200 Mon-Fri. Children enjoy a stimulating preschool environment that includes computers, arts & crafts, reading, listening centers, and more.

Full Day Preschool for 3-5 yrs old.
For more information, stop in and visit today or call 843/228-7279 or 843/228-3685.

Register for Summer Camp
Registration begins for currently enrolled School Age Care families on May 5. Registration for Summer Camp begins for all eligible patrons on May 12. Please note that there is No School on May 9, but full-day School Age Care is available. The Youth Centers are closed on Memorial Day, May 26. School Year 2008-2009 registration for all currently enrolled School Age Care families begins May 27.

{ Download Summer Youth Handbook }

Open Recreation spaces for ages 10-12 are available at PIYC & LBYC on Tue-Fri from 1445-1730. This is a great opportunity at a nominal price ($25/mo or $5/day) to engage your youth in BGCA activities and youth center fun!

Parris Island Youth Center
Tue & Wed 1800-2000 at PIYC; Wed & Thu 1800-2000 at LBYC; Sat 1300-1700 PIYC & LBYC.
Tel: 843/228-3302 x7344

Laurel Bay Youth Center
Wed & Thu 1800-2000, Sat 1300-1700
Tel : 843/228-7640

Contact Youth Centers:
Laurel Bay Youth Center 843/228-7640
Parris Island Youth Center 843/228-3302 x7344

Shocking, (heart)Breaking News
Headline news from The Legends Golf Course…Junior Golfer Turns Down $630.00!

Hopefully this tragic tale doesn’t apply to your son or daughter, but it is a true story. During the final weekend of March, The Legends golf course hosted a junior golf tournament conducted by the International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT). Ninety-four boys and girls from around the globe came to Parris Island to compete for pride and recognition, compiling points for their national ranking in the junior golf world. But it doesn’t come cheap. The annual membership fee to join the IJGT is $225 and the entry fee for this particular event was $405! However, the IJGT agreed to a one-time waiver of their membership fee and MCCS agreed to donate the $405 entry fee to a son or daughter of any MCRD or MCAS military personnel who shoots the lowest score in a qualifying event. Here’s the tragedy…only two juniors showed up for the qualifier! We tried our best to market this event by distributing fliers and sending out an “all hands” email, but I guess it wasn’t enough. Maybe it was too intimidating for some or maybe everyone was out of town that weekend. But I believe the reason is that we just don’t have very many junior golfers at our club, which in my opinion is the biggest tragedy.

Across the country and around the world, the number of junior golfers, unlike adult golfers, is on the rise. If you think that this increase in junior golf is only among the financially elite (a theory I can understand when considering the above-mentioned entry fees!), then you will appreciate this bit of news. Tom Weslake and I will be conducting four junior golf camps this summer and they will be very affordable. The “Junior Legends” camp will be offered June 16-19 and July 8-11 from 0800 – 1300. This is a great introduction to the game and will feature instruction on the driving range and putting green, golf fitness at the Parris Island gymnasium and golf games at the swimming pool. For the intermediate to advanced golfer, the “Junior Masters” camp will be offered June 23-27 and July 14-18 from 0800 – 1500. This will feature swing instruction on the driving range and putting green, golf fitness at the gymnasium and playing lessons on the golf course. The fee is $125 for the “Junior Legends” camp and $150 for the “Junior Masters” camp, both of which includes lunch, prizes and bag tags for all campers. Please give me a call or email to receive a registration form for your son or daughter.

As for the qualifying tournament, both Josh Fickes and Billy Ferrell can be proud of their efforts. Josh went on to win the 18-hole qualifier and represented Parris Island in the 11-12 year old division. The Beaufort Gazette featured a front page story about the golf tournament and, according to the article, Josh was not too happy with his first round score of 87. But he came back the next day with an 85, which is very impressive considering the cold and windy weather. One of the highlights of the first day was an appearance by Hank Haney, the swing coach of Tiger Woods! Hank was on his way down to Orlando to work with Tiger in preparation for the Masters. It was interesting to note that he spent most of the afternoon working with the players on the practice putting green, not the driving range. Hmmmm.

I realize that it is going to take more than a few summer camps and clinics to create a strong junior program at The Legends, but it’s a good place to start. The game of golf is a lifetime sport with an endless lesson plan for bored kids. Next year, I hope we have full field of students for the IJGT qualifying tournament. That would make a nice headline for a story, wouldn’t it?

If you are interested in any of these events, here’s how to reach me: (843) 228-1568 or hinsonca@usmc-mccs.orgAndy Hinson, PGA
The Legends at Parris Island

MISSOURI RETIREE TAX EXEMPTION: Military retirees in Missouri might have a state tax cut coming, if lawmakers go along with a proposal by Gov. Matt Blunt. The governor proposed to eliminate the state income tax on military pensions for tens of thousands of veterans in Missouri. Veteran's officials said the tax cut was one of their priorities. Of the 41 states that have an income tax, 12 do not tax military pensions, including neighboring Illinois.
Read more about this: http://www.mo.gov/

OHIO STATE TAX EXEMPTION: Recently passed Ohio legislation exempts military retirement pay from Ohio personal income tax and exempts estates of armed forces members who died while serving in combat zones from probate fees. The legislation also extends the 20% credit available to certain military persons on civil service examinations to any member of the National Guard or a reserve component of the U.S. Armed Forces who has completed more than 180 days of active duty service pursuant to an order of the President or an act of Congress.
Read more about this: http://www.ohio.gov/

VA BENEFITS GUIDE
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently published their Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents for 2008.
http://www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf

VA BURIAL BENEFIT UPDATE
Often survivors are disappointed when they seek reimbursement of burial expenses for departed veterans. This is because retirees have not informed their loved ones what to do and how much to expect. Read more about this: http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/bbene_burial.asp