Younger Children

CHILDREN'S THEATER is coming to Sykesville in a big way this summer when Baldwin's Station and Pub plays host to two live theater performances by Duet Productions.The two-actor company is operated by Steve and Elise Seyfried and has gained a reputation for fine children's theater."Robin Hood," the first of the productions, uses action and visual storytelling to entertain. The presentation is aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 10, but is captivating enough to hold the attention of younger children.

As Baltimore-area schools let out for summer, young people have started hitting local parks and malls in force. They are waiting for pools to open and camps to start and potential employers to call.But while jobs are in abundance elsewhere in the state, city officials warn that the calls for jobs may not come soon enough.About 5,000 Baltimore youths -- the largest number in recent years -- have applied for jobs at the city's employment office. City officials are amazed at the number of youngsters eager to work but say they have enough jobs for only about two-thirds of them.

TRENTON, N.J. -- State lawmakers across the country are beginning to recognize what first-grade teachers like Roseann DeLuca have long known: Children who attend full-day kindergarten and preschool are far better prepared to succeed in school than those who do not."They seem more ready to learn to read," said DeLuca, who has taught first grade for 10 years in Perth Amboy, N.J. "They are more verbal -- not all of them, but the majority of them. I would say that they are used to the school routine.

At Brooklyn Park Elementary School, Michael Sanford sits squinched in a desk that almost rests in his lap. "It feels a little small for me," said the sixth-grader.So does his low-to-the ground chair, the sinks in the open space classroom decorated with giant cut-outs of yellow pencils, and the few freedoms he and his classmates are allowed.Michael is one of 520 sixth-graders in North Anne Arundel County trapped in elementary schools even though they, their parents, school administrators and national educational experts say middle schools are where they belong.

IT ISN'T TIME for the NAACP to give up on the goal of an integrated America. Many delegates to the 88th annual NAACP convention are frustrated by white flight from the cities over the past 25 years that has resegregated neighborhoods and turned formerly all-white schools into all-black schools. The tax drain that resulted from the exodus has left many city schools inadequately prepared to teach the remaining urban students who frequently have special needs.But integration as a goal doesn't have to be abandoned by the civil rights organization just because it wants to place more emphasis on education.

Here's a guaranteed cure for those "what do we do now?" vacation blues: Grab the sunscreen and hustle the kids off to soak their heads.Literally -- at the nearest water park. It's the one vacation outing that won't be met with groans, even from the teens in the group whose mantra is "parents can't possibly have a good idea." A little rain won't spoil the fun (as long as there's no lightning), nor will the heat, since everyone can immediately cool off.The best news: Whether you've opted for a large park or a small one (Morey's Pier in New Jersey is less than 2 acres; call 609- 522-5431)

BALTIMORE COUNTY'S greatest social challenges are its young and its old. The population is increasingly gray, with more than one-seventh of residents 60 or older, and that number expected to grow rapidly through 2005. With budget constraints forcing cutbacks in government services and families without time or energy to care for their own, the job of looking after old people will increasingly fall on charitable organizations -- or go undone.The same goes for children. Recent studies show that while kids in suburban Baltimore are far better off than their city counterparts, many suffer from having both parents (or the only parent)

THE ANNUAL challenge of finding something worthwhile for children to do during the summer is with us again, and there are some very creative solutions.The Anne Arundel County Public Library, for instance, is recruiting middle-school students to help with the Summer Reading Program for younger children. The young mentors will organize and distribute packets of materials for program participants, help register children, restock book displays, help with craft projects and assist the library staff with special events.

TEN years ago there was only one sure way to test a child's reading ability. It had nothing to do with the SAT or any other exam and didn't involve a sharpened No. 2 pencil.If you really wanted to know how well a group of kids could read you put them all on a bus and drove them down Baltimore Street. Kids who stuttered over Dick and Jane in the class room could spit out every club name, headliner and advertisement on the Block verbatim as it flashed by at 30 mph through a grimy school bus window.

Fred Brown didn't think twice about taking his 16-year-old out of school for a week. Mr. Brown was going to Malaysia to a conference: The opportunity to introduce his son to another part of the world was too good to pass up."Travel is an education," says Mr. Brown firmly, acknowledging nonetheless that catching up afterward was difficult for the teen."The older the child, the harder it is," Mr. Brown says.He understands better than most the difficulties when youngsters miss school for family trips.