KDOT’s “Infant at Work” program reaches important milestone

By Mallory Goeke

KDOT Communications Specialist 

Bringing a child to work may not be the first thing that comes to mind when a new baby is born, but for KDOT employees, this is an option they have for the first 150 days of their child’s life. 

KDOT began participating in the “Infant at Work” program in 2001. At that time, it was only a pilot project that was under evaluation to determine if it would be feasible to continue.

There are several steps and conditions parents must agree to before their child can come to work.

According to KDOT’s Policy, only parents or grandparents of the child may bring the infant to work. The infant must stay in their parent’s work area for the workday. There must be at least two other KDOT employees who can volunteer to help take over in case the parent has a meeting. 

To help support parents, there are sitting rooms available when babies need to be fed or soothed.

Time Flies! Kelly Broxterman and her twins were the first to participate in the Infants at Work program at KDOT in 2001.

Kelly Broxterman, KDOT’s Grant and Fiscal Coordinator, and her twin sons, Colton and Justin, were the first participants in the program.  In an article from a 2001 issue of the agency’s newsletter, Translines, Broxterman said that she thought the program was a positive experience and provided important information to help build the program.

 Eighteen years later, an additional 114 babies have been able to start their lives out at work with their parents. Justin and Colton are now graduating high school!

Justin and Colton Broxterman were the first babies to participate in the Infant at work program.
They are now graduating high school this weekend.

In retrospect, Broxterman said that the program was a great way to balance work and family. 

“It gave me the ability to return to work quicker and the opportunity to spend time bonding with the boys,” Broxterman said. “As a new parent at the time, having the boys go to work with me was very comforting. They slept quite a bit every day, so I was able to get my work done but could look over and see they were okay.”

KDOT’s Bureau Chief of Personal Services, Denise Schwab said that a lot has changed since the program’s inception. 

“More people are interested now,” Schwab said.  “More senior managers and supervisors are more comfortable with the program and there are more mothers and fathers who are interested. I think it’s really cool that fathers are involved, they often split duties with their spouse.”

Schwab said that in the early development of the program, there was a bit of anxiety that having infants at work would interrupt work flow, but as time has gone by attitudes are changing. Schwab said that hearing the happy sounds that a baby makes can increase office morale.

“There’s a real human side to having an infant at work,” Schwab said. “They bring a lot of joy to the office place, and they are fun to have around.”

There are mutual benefits for both KDOT and the employees who participate in the program.

“One of the positive feedbacks that we receive is how much quicker employees can come back to work,” Schwab said. “Instead of having a vacant seat they are able to come back sooner and be productive.”

According to Schwab there are only a handful of other state DOTs that allow infants in the workplace. She said she has been able to use KDOT as an example when she discusses this program with other agencies.

Good old fashioned road trip games

Remember the days of the family vacation when the entire family piled into the car and hit the road for two weeks?  According the New York Times, the American road trip is making a rebound.  It may be a shorter four- or five-day road trip versus the two-week road trip of the past, but it still counts.   

Road trips in general offer a families a chance to unplug from social media and their devices. They can also build memories. Here are some good old fashioned road games that are sure to keep you and your loved ones entertained on your next road trip.

20 Questions

One player thinks of a person, place or thing. The other players then ask that player up to 20 yes-or-no questions to figure out what the person is thinking about. Whomever figures it out wins, unless nobody figures it out by the 20th question. If that happens, the player who thought of the person, place or things wins.

I spy

The classic game "I spy" is yet another guessing game. In this game, one person looks around the car and chooses an object. They decide which of the object's characteristics will serve as a clue and then say, "I spy, with my little eye, something that is _____." For instance, if he or she chooses a banana, the phrase would be, "I spy, with my little eye, something that is yellow." The other players then take turns guessing the object until someone figures it out and wins.

Geography

In this game, the first player thinks of a location that can be found on a map. The location can be anything — a continent, city, mountain or landmark — it must be found on a map. The first player says the location he or she has in mind, and then the next player has to think of a location that starts with the last letter of the named location. For example, if the first person says, "Florida," the next player must name a location that starts with the letter "A." The players take turns naming locations until someone takes longer than 10 seconds to come up with an answer. That person is out of the game, and the game continues until one player wins by being the last one remaining.  This can also be played with numerous other topics.

My Cows
This one only works if you're driving through rural areas, but it's great for long drives. When driving past a farm with cows, the first person to spot them calls out "My Cows!" and makes a quick count/guesstimate of how many he or she got. The object, of course, is to "collect" the most cows. If the car passes over a bridge, whoever spots it first gets to erase another player's cows. The erase landscape object doesn't need to be a bridge; it can be a graveyard or anything else you might pass periodically on a road trip well-supplied with cows.  Instead of counting cows, you could also count windmills, horses, oil derricks or whatever you and your fellow players decide!

If you aren’t driving you can also play Guess the Phrase with your fellow passengers.  It is also commonly known as Hangman or Snowman.

The rules for this game may vary. One player comes up with a secret phrase and the other players keep guessing letters one at a time until the phrase is completely spelled out on paper or until the player who guessed the phrase draws a complete figure (whichever happens first). Each time the players guess a letter that isn't in the phrase, the player who came up with the phrase draws a body part of the man (first the head, then the torso, then an arm etc.). If the guessing players guess all letters in the phrase before a complete character is drawn, they win. If not, the player who drew the man wins.

What are some of your favorite road trip games? 

Touch a Truck event provides fun for all ages

The Touch a Truck event hosted more than 1,500 children and families and gave them a chance to experience a variety of important vehicles in person. 

More than 1,500 children and families had the chance to see and experience 30 vehicles on display at the Touch a Truck event last Saturday in Finney County. The event, which was hosted by the Finney County Public Library, hosted 24 organizations, including the Kansas Department of Transportation.

KDOT employees from the Garden City Sub Area stand in front of a KDOT dump truck.

The event kicked off with the arrival of the Life Team helicopter and included lunch for those attending and volunteers.  People of all ages seemed to enjoy seeing the vehicles up close. Children who attended the event interacted with KDOT vehicles by honking the horns and exploring the equipment. 

Young children explore the inside of a KDOT vehicle during the Touch a Truck event held in Garden City on July 1. 

Lisa Knoll, the KDOT Public Affairs Manager for Southwest Kansas, said that KDOT crew members answered questions and taught visitors about how the vehicles are used and how they help keep Kansas moving in various situations.

"The first thing most kids did was go straight for the loader," Knoll said. "They were intrigued with sitting in the loader and they loved honking the horn. We also showed them the dump truck.”

Knoll said that KDOT would love to participate in an event like this again if the opportunity arises. 

Travel, celebrate Independence Day Safely

Many Kansans are planning to hit the road and celebrate the Fourth of July with family and friends. The Kansas Department of Transportation and the Kansas Highway Patrol encourage travelers to plan ahead and make their trips and celebrations as safe as possible.

Nationally, AAA is projecting that 44.2 million Americans will travel during Independence Day weekend, with 3.34 million of those in this region. This year is projected to be the most-traveled Independence Day holiday ever. Cheaper gas prices are likely a contributing factor to the high number of holiday travelers, with airfares and car rental rates also lower than our last Independence Day.

“AAA would like to remind drivers to be sure their vehicle and the passengers are road trip ready,” said Jennifer Haugh, AAA Kansas spokesperson. “Eliminating distractions and impairment, plus buckling up, will help motorists avoid tragedy.”

KDOT and KHP remind travelers not to drink and drive. Law enforcement agencies from across the state will be actively watching for impaired drivers.

“As travelers take to the highways throughout the holiday weekend there are steps they can take to make it to their destination safely,” Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Adam Winters said. “Any time you ride in a vehicle, buckle up and make sure children are in the appropriate child safety seats. For those planning to drink over the weekend, designate your sober driver before you celebrate. We want people to enjoy the festivities, but we also want them to be safe.”

Before travelers pack their cars, they can check their route for delays or construction with the help of KanDrive at www.kandrive.org, which can also be accessed from mobile devices. KanDrive includes camera images and interactive maps, as well as links to rest areas and travel and tourism sites.

Much of the same information can be accessed by calling 5-1-1 in Kansas or 1-866-511-KDOT (5368) in the U.S.

If you are involved in a crash or need assistance on a Kansas highway, call *47 (*HP) from a cell phone for a highway patrol dispatcher, or if on the Kansas Turnpike, dial *582 (*KTA).