After Celebrating 'Take Your Child to Work Day'

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Adults ask kids this question all the time. Bright Futures Press suggests that participating in events like the 25th annual Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day gives adults a chance to pay attention to their children’s answers.

Celebrated this year on April 26, the event involves millions of students, parents and employers and opens the doors to workplaces all over the country. It’s a time for young people to look behind the scenes, ask questions and find out more about what adults do all day.

According to the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), career exploration is particularly important for middle school students. Early career exploration engages students in active, age-appropriate learning and makes the most of developmental milestones like abstract thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. Early career exploration is also credited as a highly effective school drop-out prevention strategy.

“Starting career exploration in college is an expensive proposition,” says author and publisher Diane Lindsey Reeves. “Getting an early start helps better prepares students to take full advantage of wonderful college and career readiness opportunities in high school and beyond. Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day offers many students their first step toward a bright future.”

How can you keep the momentum going after the workplace visits are over and the last class reports are given? According to Reeves, “High school used to be the entry point for career guidance activities. Now middle schools and even elementary schools are part of a more inclusive process. Parents will want to find out what their schools offer and encourage students to consider getting involved.”

One of the most common approaches is middle school career exploratory classes that cover everything from self-assessment and career options to employability skills and financial literacy. These types of classes lay important groundwork that can better inform high school course selection and college choices.

Some middle schools also offer career and technical education classes that provide hands-on introductions to a variety of career pathways. CTSOs like Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and SkillsUSA offer afterschool club activities including a dazzling array of local, regional, and national competitions that challenge students to make important discoveries about interests, talents, and skills.

Parents can also use subtle teachable moments to draw attention to the work people do in everyday situations their family encounters. Dinner out at a restaurant, a visit to the hospital, a flight to another city — all these present natural ways for children to expand their horizons and consider different types of career opportunities.

Reeves has devoted much of her own career to helping students figure out what they want to be when they grow up. The website, www.CareersSheWrote.com, features her latest collection of 35 career exploration titles for middle-grade readers and offers free activity guides that parents and teachers can use to extend Take Your Son and Daughter to Work Day experiences.

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Diane Lindsey Reeves has spent many years and lots of ink helping students of all ages figure out what they want to be when they grow up. Her company, Bright Futures Press, along with partner Cherry Lake Publishing, recently co-published four nonfiction book series that feature creative hooks to spark curiosity and engage students in grades four through seven in interactive career exploration. The series include: Find Your Future in STEAM; Get a Job (introducing surprising opportunities in familiar places like the airport and hospital); Choose a Career Adventure (featuring cool jobs in some of America’s coolest places like NASA, Hollywood, and the White House); and World of Work (showcasing each of the 16 nationally recognized career clusters).

MEDIA CONTACT
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Diane Reeves dreeves@brightfuturespress.com or 919-637-0194.

RESOURCES
Association for Career and Technical Education
Career Exploration in Middle School: Setting Students on the Path to Success https://www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/Dump/ACTE_CC_Paper_FINAL.pdf

Bright Futures Press
http://www.brightfuturespress.com

Careers She Wrote
http://www.CareersSheWrote.com

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
http://www.fcclainc.org​

Skills USA
http://www.skillsusa.org

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
http://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org