Students and children who take part in Greenville High Schools Child Care Program have a big week ahead of them. Next week the theme for the program will be community helpers.

Throughout the week the students will teach the children about the many community helpers that work hard every day to make sure they are healthy and safe. There will even be visits from representatives of some branches of community helpers.

Child Care Instructor Glinda Parmer said the purpose of such programs were to help high school students learn about child care, while educating the children with fun programs to keep their attention.

"High school students take these classes to prepare themselves to work with children," said Parmer. "Each week we study a different theme and next week we will study our community helpers."

Parmer said three days of next week's program would be dedicated to bringing in representatives of community helpers to speak to the children.

The students will work in conjunction with the representatives to give the children an idea of what each of them do to help.

"On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the high school students will do things to teach the children about our different community helpers," said Parmer. "We want to have a policeman and a fireman and a fire truck to come out for the children."

Part of the program will allow the children to assume the role of the community helpers by dressing up. Parmer said this was just another fun way to get the children involved and learning.

"We also have little costumed for them to wear like the ones the community helpers have," said Parmer. "They will wear them while they are taught how the community helpers help us."

Parmer said the different programs they use are fun for everyone involved. Parmer said often the students have just as much fun as the students do.

"I think it is a lot of fun for everyone," said Parmer. The children have a lot of fun. The students do their part to make it a lot of fun too."

Throughout next week the children will be taught about community helpers in all respects. Along with the police and fire department, who serve to protect citizens, the children will learn about caretakers such as doctors of all kinds and nurses.

"We are going to try to get a dentist to come in," said Parmer. "One group is also going to talk about helicopter pilots that use helicopters to airlift people to the hospital. Another will talk about nurses and their role as a community helper."

Ideas for community helpers are still building. Parmer said students come in every day with fresh, new ideas about helpers the children may not know about. Parmer said they would try to fit as many in as possible to let the children know just how many people are looking out for them.

"These are not nearly all the ideas they have had," said Parmer. "Those are just some of the examples for things the students have signed up to do. There will probably be more."

On Thursday, around 9:15 a.m. Parmer hopes to give the children a special treat. She said the program is hoping to have a visit from a fire engine.

"We are hoping the fire engine can come around 9:15 Thursday," said Parmer. "We're hoping to get that for the children."