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ACE can be a family affair

Child Care Service Offered In Long Beach

By EDITH ALLISON, PROWESS Co-Chair

You may have noticed parents with very small children in infant carriers at the Icebreaker reception and other AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition (ACE) events over the years.

Have you ever wondered what happens to those children when they get old enough to walk and are not allowed in the exhibit hall?

They certainly are not “Home Alone.”

However, for parents to attend an out-of-town meeting requires complex logistics and a supportive family – and for the growing number of dual-career households it is even more difficult to find professional and reliable child care while attending meetings away from home.

To answer this problem, AAPG is providing professional and fun child care at this year’s AAPG Annual Convention April 22-25 in Long Beach, Calif.

This service has been initiated by AAPG’s Professional Women in Earth Sciences Committee, after a survey of potential convention attendees showed that the availability of reliable childcare would persuade many parents to attend the ACE.

AAPG has selected KiddieCorp to provide licensed, professional child care at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel, which is located next to the Long Beach Convention Center.

Parents can bring their children to Long Beach, participate in all the meeting events and then spend time with their children enjoying the many local attractions, such as the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Queen Mary and the Ferris wheel – and later in extending your visit to include a trip to nearby Disneyland or Universal Studios.

The service will be available:

• Sunday (April 22) – from 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Monday – from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
• Tuesday – from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• Wednesday – from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

KiddieCorp has provided high-quality child care at conventions and corporate events for over 25 years; the Geological Society of America has used KiddieCorp to provide child care at its annual conventions since 2005.

The service will be available in Long Beach for children aged six months through 12 years. The cost is $8 per hour and a two-hour minimum is required.

To use the childcare service, submit your reservation here at www.aapg.org/longbeach2012/Childcare.cfm before March 21, 2012.

Some companies may subsidize their employees’ use of the service, so check with your manager or HR department to see if support is available.