For Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, Thursday, April 23, you need to see which activities require advance registration, and be ready to sign up online from Friday through Monday (April 17-20).

And, for Soaring to New Heights, you need to make sure you get your ticket early — as only 500 are available for the May 14 celebration.

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day: There couldn’t be a better place than UC Davis for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, which is coming up next week. Your children get to see your office or work station, and they get to experience the rest of this great university.

TODS is a national event, now in its 23rd year. The 2015 theme is “#MPOWR: Knowledge + Choice = Strength” — reflecting the fact that TODS is more than a career day: TODS not only exposes girls and boys to their parents’ or guardians’ work life, but also shows children the value of education and gives them an opportunity envision their futures.

“We like to think of TODS as a family-oriented ‘mini-Picnic Day’ just for kids,” said Sandy Batchelor, WorkLife coordinator in Human Resources. In fact, TODS activities include two of Picnic Day’s most popular events: the physics and chemistry shows.

Children can visit police headquarters (a fingerprint technician will take thumbprints, for the children to take home) and the fire station (spray a fire hose); the Dairy Barn (get to know our cows); a greenhouse (plant some vegetables to bring home); and the Confucius Institute (calligraphy, craft and chopstick activities). Boys and girls also are welcome to visit the Unitrans garage (and take a ride on a double-decker).

Other points of interest include the Design Museum, C.N. Gorman Museum and the Nelson Gallery; the Museum of Wldlife and Fish Biology, the California Raptor Center and the Bohart Museum of Entomology; the arboretum, botanical conservatory and the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven.

For a geneuine “taste” of student life, children can eat lunch for $2 at any dining commons.

Details: TODS is Thursday, April 23. A partial schedule is available online, and more activities are being added. Most events have no advance registration — but there are some that do, and your opportunity for online registration will be from 10 a.m. Friday (April 17) to 5 p.m. Monday (April 20). Note: Spots fill up quickly. Confirmations will be sent on Tuesday, April 21.  

TODS is for staff, faculty, students and their youth guests ages 7-12. (Younger or older guests are welcome if your supervisor approves.) Release time is appropriate with supervisory approval. Participating employees should coordinate with their supervisors time away from work locations to ensure coverage for operational needs.

Soaring to New Heights: This event marks its 25th anniversary this year — 25 years of staff and faculty coming together to celebrate diversity and the Principles of Community and more at UC Davis.

Tickets are now on sale (see details below), and you should take note this new location: The Pavilion at the ARC. The date is Thursday, May 14; doors open at 11:15 a.m., and the event runs until 1:30 p.m.

The program includes entertainment, an international buffet, a resource fair (with representatives from various units and constituent groups) and the following presentations: Diversity and Principles of Community Achievement Recognition Awards, Disability Awareness Recognition Awards and the Calvin E. Handy Leadership Award.

Department-unit representation is highly recommended, said Rahim Reed, associate executive vice chancellor, Office of Campus Community Relations. He said release time with supervisory approval is appropriate.

“I hope you will join us at this exciting Principles of Community event, sponsored by the Office of Campus Community Relations and the Staff Diversity Administrative Advisory Committee,” Reed said.

Tickets: Only 500 are available, and they are being sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, through May 7 or until sold out. None will be sold at the door. Tickets are available through the UC Davis Ticket Office:

• Department recharge — DaFIS account managers should place their orders by email to Charlotte Young. Orders should include number of tickets requested, date of pickup, the first and last name of the person who will retrieve the tickets, and account manager contact information (name, phone number and email address).
• Individual ticket purchases — Online; by phone, (530) 752-2471; or in person (the ticket office is at the north end of Aggie Stadium). Tickets are $5 each, by cash or check (payable to “UC Regents”) or personal credit card.

More information is available online or by calling the Office of Campus Community Relations, (530) 752-2071.