'Bring a Child to Work Day' at CU will be April 22

How about a career in astronomy? Ever dream about being a lawyer? What kind of schooling do you need? How easy is it to get a job?

Kids will have a chance to ask these kinds of questions and get answers and more on "Bring a Child to Work Day," Thursday, April 22, at Cornell.

The seventh annual "Take Our Daughters to Work Day," a national event sponsored by the Ms. Foundation for Women, expects to see millions of girls and young women, ages 9 to 15, spend the day at various public and private organizations across the country. Cornell has been participating, informally, in this national event with our own "Bring a Child to Work Day." This year, Work and Family Services is striving to augment existing local programs by offering additional activities across campus. Boys and girls, ages 9 to 18, will have an opportunity to gain exposure to the working world and a chance to explore and ask questions about career choices they may not have been aware of. Attending "Bring a Child to Work Day" may be a first step in developing a child's career awareness. Exploring career opportunities will help children understand the connection between those opportunities and the schooling they require. The insight children will gain from going to work is unparalleled by anything they could hear during a dinner conversation or read about in a career textbook, organizers say.

Lisa Kendall, senior consultant in Work and Family Services, will be welcoming parents and children at an opening celebration and registration at G10 Biotechnology Building from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Registration will begin promptly after her welcome, and refreshments will be available. From there, parents are encouraged to accompany their children in exploring their career interests or in just spending the day with them in their workplace. If the activity requires bus service, valid Cornell faculty and staff identification cards are honored as bus passes on all campus routes. The cash fare for children is 50 cents.

Individual departments are encouraged to plan a special lunch unless mom or dad want to treat their kids on their own.

Be sure to register children on the registration form provided at the Work and Family Services web site at http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Admin/FAMILY/child_to_ work.html. One registration form per child is required. There are a variety of interesting activities planned and some are offered more than once during the day. All activities have an approximate 20-per-group limit and are on a first-come, first-served basis, so registering promptly is encouraged. The deadline for registration is April 19.

Unfortunately, due to business needs, not everyone will be able to attend. Employees should be sure to ask their supervisors for release time for any activities in advance.

For more information or questions, contact Dana Rothbaum, Work and Family Services, 255-6890 or dar31@cornell.edu.