ATEC personnel were invited to bring their daughters, sons, relatives and friends from ages ranging from four to 17 to spend the day shadowing their parents on the job.
During the first half of the day, children participated in a variety of interactive activities including trying on Soldier field equipment, seeing the inside of APG police and fire department emergency vehicles, and building simulated rockets. Among the activities, a favorite was meeting an APG Police dog. The second half of the day, children had the opportunity to spend time at their parent's workstation.
"I think this year's event was very successful", says Theresa Seegel, ATEC administrative officer, and lead coordinator for the event. Seegel says participants had a great time inside the emergency vehicle as children turned on lights, blew the fire engine's horn, were outfitted in police gear and learned the fundamentals of firearms safety... "I saw lots of smiles as I asked the kids if they were having a good time."
Seegel went on to share how valuable parents' feedback from last year was to planning and enhancing this year's event. One of the improvements as a result of that feedback was providing children with more hands-on activities during the day, rather than more time in the cubicle office setting.
"This year we engaged the police and fire department so children could understand their role on a military installation," said Seegel.
Unlike last year, this year the children were split up into three groups; ages 4-6, 7-10, and 11-17, to allow each station to be more manageable. Groups rotated from one activity to the next allowing all children ample time and attention from the coordinators at each station.
Sean Harrison, ATEC, expressed his contentment with the day's events.
"Each year it gets better and better. Splitting up the kids by age groups makes the event more organized, and the older kids get to enjoy the experience because they can participate in more hands on activities," Harrison said.
Throughout the day, children were able to express their points of view on how well they thought the event was going.
"I really appreciate all the thought and creativity put into today's events, and I like how everybody went out of their way to put this together for youth our age," says Ariana Tharrington, age 13. "I now have a better idea of what my dad does on his job because I never really thought about it before. I just knew that he would leave for work and come back home, and I told him that he should let me come with him to his job one day."
The day concluded with Jody Jackson, ATEC equal employment opportunity manager, presenting all children with certificates of participation as mementos that were personally signed by Maj. Gen. Peter D. Utley, ATEC Commanding General.
The "Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day' is an annual event held the fourth Thursday each April. For more information on the foundation and program, please visit: http://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org/.
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