PROFILE : Birth of an Idea : Martin Danner quit work to launch a magazine for parents, an effort that isn’t child’s play.

Arriving home from work to a house filled with wound-up children in need of an outlet for their energy isn’t usually an inspirational sight for most parents.

But it definitely had a positive effect on Martin Danner, a 33-year-old Ventura father of three.

“I remember thinking that there must be plenty of other parents out there who don’t have a lot of time, but still need information about activities, classes and resources for their kids,” said Danner, whose wife, Peggy, opened a day-care center in their home last year.

“That’s when it struck me that there wasn’t really any one, central source where parents could go to get that information.”

Convinced that there was a need, Danner decided he would try to address it. In April, just a few weeks before his company announced there would be large-scale layoffs, Danner resigned his $50,000-a-year job as a business systems analyst with the Northrop Corp. in Newbury Park, a position he had held since 1985.

He then created for himself a job he’d never had before: editor and publisher of Parents’ Resource Guide, a free, monthly magazine launched this month that is distributed to day-care centers, schools, libraries, recreation centers, doctors’ offices and “any other place where people who care about parenting” are likely to be found in western Ventura County.

Included in each issue is a calendar of child-related events in Ventura, Camarillo, Ojai, Oxnard and Santa Paula, a column describing parenting education programs, a counseling column, an advice column and feature articles on noteworthy local activities. The articles and columns are written by local free-lance writers.

“I did research before I began this to make certain there was advertising revenue out there. Now it’s up to the community,” said Danner, a soft-spoken man in a no-nonsense necktie--the only vestige of his corporate past--that he wears in his cramped bedroom-turned-office. “We’ll just have to wait and see if there’s a response.”

As with her husband, Peggy Danner is not unaware of the risks of the venture, which debuted when 15,000 copies of the magazine were distributed on July 1.

During a recent interview, she held her 2-month-old son Charles in the crook of one arm while 4-year-old Jason and 2-year-old Gregory played with day-care children on the floor behind her, just outside the office/bedroom door.

“When he first said he was thinking about doing this, we really talked about it,” Peggy said, adding that any initial financial concerns she had were soon quieted by the research and preparation her husband did before leaving his job. “Of course,” she added, “when he actually stopped going to work, it was quite a transition.”

Both husband and wife said they are prepared for a worst-case scenario of the magazine failing to catch hold. In the meantime, however, both said they have faith that they are providing a service to parents and that it will be welcomed if they can get the word out.

Even Danner’s children seemed to be lending their support to the project. “Every once in a while, they’ll go in for a kiss,” Peggy said, “but other than that they don’t disturb him. They know he’s making a magazine about kids.”

UP CLOSE: MARTIN DANNER

Age: 33

Occupation: Publisher

Ages of children: 5, 3 and 2 months

Most memorable moment in parenthood: “I was there for the birth of all three of them. It’s magic. Each time felt like the most significant moment in my life.”

Hazards of working at home: “It’s nice to be near the kids, but they are also noisy little things. It’s hard to work sometimes.”

Advice to other parents: “When you feel like yelling, stop and try and see it from their perspective. It’s often easier said than done, but you have a major impact on this little person’s life. Everything you say and do is absorbed.”

Favorite place to escape: “Occasionally, my wife and I talk the grandparents into watching the kids for a weekend, and then find a bed and breakfast place in Santa Barbara. It’s just far away enough that you know you’ve escaped, but close enough that you can get back easily and quickly if you have to.”