Penn State celebrates ‘Bring Our Children to Work Day’ after decade-long hiatus
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- Penn State revived its formal Bring Our Children to Work Day after a 10-year hiatus.
- More than 1,000 participants registered for the event, including about 700 children.
- The event was to thank employees and expose children to campus life, the university said.
Instead of its typical college student atmosphere, Penn State’s University Park campus was filled Monday with jubilant children who tagged along with their parents for the first formal “Bring Our Children to Work Day” in 10 years.
After a decade-long hiatus due to budget limitations, the university brought back coordinated programs and festivities for the national celebration, inviting children in grades 2-12. While national Take Your Child to Work Day is April 23, Penn State held its event Monday to avoid overlap with Pennsylvania System of School Assessment testing.
The event attracted more than 1,000 participants who signed up, including roughly 700 children, the university said.
Participants started their day at the Bryce Jordan Center for a breakfast ceremony that included a welcome statement from Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi and a special appearance from Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell. Afterward, parents and children flocked to scheduled activities that were planned throughout the day.
One of the first events was a tour of the Penn State Berkey Creamery, where participants gathered at the observation room and were able to peer into the production’s facility and learn about the creamery’s history and process.
The day’s activities centered on providing participants with a dynamic learning experience. At the creamery, for instance, they were able to directly engage staff with questions and sample the famous local ice cream.
Jamie McClintock Brenner, a Penn State academic advisor who attended the creamery’s tour with her two children, said she previously brought them to her work station on Take Your Child to Work Day.
“They just came in with me and followed me around all day,” Brenner said. “Now they are actually interacting on campus.”
The organized event is also a good tool to recruit future students, said James Brown, Penn State’s Berkey Creamery Manager of sales and marketing.
“Bringing your child to work benefits the university because a lot of times, young kids don’t have a complete understanding of what Penn State’s all about,” he said.
Natalie Bonchack, 14, attended with her mom, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions Audrey Bonchack, and said she plans to attend Penn State in the future.
“It was great to have so many things to pick from and get them exposed to all the great things that are happening at this place that I work from every day,” Audrey Bonchack said.
The university brought back the organized celebration because leadership wanted to show gratitude to their employees and recognize the “important role families play in supporting our faculty and staff,” Curtis Chan, senior manager for public relations at Penn State, wrote in a statement.
“Reintroducing ‘Bring Our Children to Work Day’ is one of the ways Penn State leaders are showing their appreciation for employees while also furthering its core teaching, research and outreach missions,” Chan said. “Our hope and plan is to host ‘Bring Our Children to Work Day’ next year and continue recognizing our faculty and staff.”
Bonchack said she’s already looking forward to bringing her son next year.
“I have a younger son who was too young to come, but it would be great to give him a chance to come and do this later,” she said. “There are a lot of interests for different ages so it’s really great.”
