USO Schofield Barracks Kid's Time: Building Community for Preschoolers and Parents

The USO Schofield Barracks launched a new program last September called Kid’s Time, aimed at providing preschool-aged children and their parents with a space to boost creativity and social skills. The program is hosted on the last Thursday of every month and consists of snack time, coloring, book readings, and a craft activity. This past Thursday, military spouse and former first grade teacher Ally Hughes volunteered to lead the program.

Ally read a delightful book about penguins that immediately captured the children’s attention. With kids being easily distracted, it can be hard to maintain their focus, but Ally expertly incorporated vocal inflections and animated gestures into her reading. The children were completely absorbed in the story, gasping and cheering at all the right parts.

After the reading, the kids moved on to working on a fun Antarctic-themed craft, making penguins out of paper. It was heartwarming to see their little faces light up with enthusiasm as they worked diligently to make penguins, following Ally’s instructions and enthusiastically applying glue with their tiny hands. They meant business! We also saw their joy and pride as they showed off their finished penguin artwork to their parents. The room was filled with the sounds of laughter and satisfaction over their creative fun. Tiny hands worked hard, producing adorable results. By all accounts, the event was a ringing success.

USO Schofield Barracks finds great fulfillment in facilitating programs such as Kid’s Time, which foster meaningful connections and experiences for military families stationed in Oahu. As Evon Haley, USO Schofield Barracks’ Center Manager, put it, “Not only is it a fun outlet for the keiki to socialize and make new friends over creative activities, but it’s also a chance for military parents to bond over the shared experiences of raising children while deployed here in Oahu. We are pleased to be able to give our youngest community members this unique opportunity for bonding.”

Programs like Kid’s Time are made possible by dedicated volunteers like Ally Hughes, who has lent her skills and passion as a teacher to make this Kid’s Time event a success. Volunteers like Ally are invaluable in helping enrich USO programming and activities through their generous donations of time, energy, and talent. Her enthusiastic reading and clever craft truly engaged the children and brought immense joy to all involved. We sincerely appreciate Ally and all of the USO volunteers who make these types of memorable moments possible for military families.