By Peggy Levy and Lynn Smith
Sponsored by Staff Council, with assistance from Faculty Senate, several areas in Academic Affairs and important contributions from the Administration and Finance Division, the Take Your Child to Work Day pilot program took place June 9 during the morning around UH.
During the “Conversations With Staff” events sponsored by Staff Council from 2011 through 2014, staff and faculty submitted requests every single year to bring back a “Take Your Child to Work Day” program. Early in 2016, the Staff Affairs Committee of Staff Council began researching “Take Your Child to Work Day” programs taking place specifically in Texas and other southern universities and colleges, and decided to try to involve campus resources to develop a pilot program for 2017, with limited funds available for the program. By the end of 2016, five campus areas had developed events for the children:
The pilot program had approximately 190 children (with their accompanying parents) attending events during the morning. The skies around UH were cloudy but clear for the entire day, and each event ended with anticipation by both parents and children regarding another program next year. Staff Council is hoping to widen the age range for children, increase the number of children allowed to participate, and add several new areas as possibilities for events, such as College of Pharmacy, College of Technology, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS), and the Office of Sustainability; they would also like to receive assistance from all areas in planning the events.
The 2017 Pilot Program was a massive effort, and recruits are needed from all areas on campus to assist with events next year to make the 2018 “Take Your Child to Work Day” Program even more successful. Please contact Staff Council at staffcouncil@uh.edu if your college/department/office is interested in participating in next year’s events and planning for children to come on campus.