Opportunities for Teens During the Summer (continued)

The remaining students who attend summer school do so for academic enrichment. These enrichment programs may include short-term intensive classes, review courses for college admissions exams, and specialty camps. Many high school students also take a course during the summer so they do not have to take it in the fall. That gives them the option during the school year of taking an elective or a higher level course in the subject they studied in summer school.

Benefits to working a summer job. Working during the summer offers teens many advantages. One of the main benefits is related to the paychecks they earn: youths begin to be more fiscally responsible for themselves and less dependent on their parents. Whether they are saving for a costly asset, such as a car, or earning pocket money, working teens are establishing the foundations of their financial independence.

Having a job makes teens responsible in other ways, too. After all, employment means more than simply showing up at a jobsite. Workers must find a way to arrive on time and be well rested, clean, and prepared to perform their job tasks. Working teens also learn important life skills that range from communication to problemsolving. And in many fields— including fast-growing ones, such as healthcare and computers—a job that provides those skills might serve as a valuable steppingstone to a future career.

For more information

If you are considering enrolling in summer school or working in a summer job, begin weighing your options long before June. For guidance on taking summer classes or finding summer work, ask your school counselor. He or she may refer you to contacts in your community or to school- or employment- related resources. Some resources, such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook, may be in your school or local library.

To learn more about the types of work available to teens and how to get a summer job, see Matthew Mariani’s article, “Successfully Seeking Summer Jobs,” in the winter 1998-99 OOQ.

Another BLS publication, Issues in Labor Statistics, profiled teenaged workers in the September issue. For a free copy of “Declining teen labor force participation,” summary 02-06, contact:

Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics Bureau of Labor Statistics 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE. Washington, D.C. 20212-0001 (202) 691-5200

The summary also is available online at www.bls.gov/opub/ils/pdf/ opbils49.pdf.

Information on summer school enrollment and youth employment is available from national and State departments of education, local school districts, and national and State employment services.

Connect for Kids, a Web site sponsored by the Benton Foundation, focuses on how families and communities can help youths succeed. Contact: Benton Foundation Connect for Kids 1625 K St., NW. 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 (202) 638-5770 www.connectforkids.org

For information on teens and summer experiences, click on “Topics A to Z” and “Out of School Time.”

Teen Workers Bill of Rights

The wage and hour division of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment Standards Administration enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). The FLSA is the framework for Federal child labor regulations.