City of Sarasota celebrates Take Your Child to Work Day

Beau Petrilla, 10, had a positive review of Bring Your Kids to Work Day.

"It's a lot better than school," he said. 

On April 24, the city of Sarasota invited parents to bring their kids to work and enjoy a trip with them through different city departments, in keeping with the national Take Your Child to Work Day on the third Thursday of April each year. 

The day began with a stop at the human resources department, where kids received their own city ID badges, followed by visits to other departments that concluded with the Sarasota Police Department's Marine Patrol Team at Marina Jack.

Kids had the chance to step onto a boat and learn about safety and the jobs of the marine patrol officers, while also talking through the boat's loudspeaker and throwing rescue bags into the water.

About 50 kids from ages 7 to 14 attended the event, the biggest group after nine years, according to Dominique Anderson, general manager of human resources.

"Each year we try to expand it and do something different, so that way they can check out different departments," she said.

Petrilla called it "really cool" to see what takes place at the workplace of his parent Kalyn Ennis, a code compliance inspector. 

"I look forward to it every year, and it's like really fun to do," he said.

"I like the kids to be able to see what we do every day..." said Ennis. "It's fun. It's a good educational experience for them."

Hartley Jackie, an arborist with development services, brought her grandson Preston Hilton, 10, stating, "He's been coming every year for three years now, and every time, they always learn something different."

She said she'll know that he's been learning and listening, when he suddenly reveals a fact when he had picked up at the dinner table. 

Marine Patrol Officer Michael Skinner said the event was a chance for the department to help teach kids about boat safety, including that the first question they should ask when getting on a boat is "Where's my life jacket?"

He also said it also allowed kids to learn about the wide variety of departments involved in the workings of Sarasota.

"There are so many different positions that keep Sarasota running, and each gear of this machine that the city has, has a specific task, and that could be from keeping our city safe on the waterways, or even keeping our drinking water safe," he said. "This town is very tourist-driven, and we want our kids to understand that our parents work hard to keep this city beautiful. A lot of people known how beautiful Sarasota is, and it's kind of like you pull back the drapes and you get to see behind the scenes."