GETTING ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCE; KIDS JOIN WORK FORCE FOR A DAY WITH THEIR FOLKS.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer

Seven-year-old Paige Miller learned Thursday how to ``network.'' Kiersten Haub, also 7, spent the day shredding documents.

One of the youngest stars at Santa Clarita City Hall's Take Your Child to Work Day activities, Stevie Fernandez, 6, hadn't a clue what the blueprint was that his engineer mother, Monica, gave him to color on. The youngster turned it into an anti-drug message, with blue lines for ``good drugs'' and red for the bad.

``But the best part is the toys,'' said Stevie, rolling a miniature truck on the desk of his mom's associate. The toys weren't Stevie's.

The miniature bureaucrats who shared cubicles with moms, dads, aunts and friends were taking part in City Hall's version of the Ms. Foundation's Take Our Daughters to Work Day.

The 6-year-old program is a rite of spring at many workplaces, with millions of girls - and boys - attending. The Ms. Foundation founded the program in hopes of exposing young girls to the workplace and to the vast opportunities available to women in the work force.

At City Hall and other establishments, boys were invited, too. The practice, city officials said, offers boys the same opportunities and shows them that men and women can hold the same types of jobs.

Katie Marcoe, 13, found out just how hard her mother works as a crew member at the Trader Joe's market in Valencia. Katie went to her first class at Arroyo Seco Junior High School, then headed to work with her mom at 9 a.m.

``She's been bagging, she helped break down a load of cereal and other stuff, she helped stock shelves, we stocked cheese, soda. She's finding out how hard it is,'' Susan Marcoe said. ``Now maybe she'll understand why I'm so tired when I get home.''

Back at City Hall, Katie Leonard, 12, traveled from the Antelope Valley with her mother to work in the engineering division. She got a sneak preview of the city's skateboard park, scheduled to open in August.

``These are the specs to tell the contractor what kind of concrete to use, what kind of railings. The kids are going to `thrash' on this, so it has to be right,'' Assistant Engineer Robert Nelson explained to his young apprentice.

Little Paige Miller and her 8-year-old brother, Trent, an aspiring journalist, interviewed city employees for a survey they were asked to complete as part of the daylong program.

Plans for the day included a special lunch for the young crew and a panel of four women who hold traditionally male jobs.

``It's really important for girls - and boys - to see women working in careers that aren't typical for girls,'' said Michelle Nelson, a human resources technician who helped organize the event.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) Stevie Fernandez, 6, explains the artwork he added to a blueprint Thursday while at work with his mother at Santa Clarita City Hall.

(2--Color) Trader Joe's employee Susan Marcoe, left, gets some help stocking shelves from her 13-year-old daughter, Katie.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News