Food for Thought

Seldom do several trays full of steaming turkey, potatoes, enchiladas, gravy and stuffing go nearly unnoticed in a roomful of energetic young children.

Such was the case Tuesday at Para los Nin~os, a downtown day-care center for disadvantaged children.

Fifth-graders from Chatsworth Hills Academy visited preschoolers at the East 6th Street center to deliver an early taste of Thanksgiving. But the day wound up being about much more than food.

“They’re so great!” said Chatsworth Hills student Kathryn Langner. “They love to be touched. We were playing ‘pass the kid’ and one of them, when I let go, started reaching out to me. It was amazing.”

It was the second year students from the San Fernando Valley private school had visited, but organizers said that this year they were better prepared.

Last year, they brought only western Thanksgiving fare and books printed in English, despite the fact that most of the 750 children served by Para los Nin~os are Latino.

This year, students came armed with sharpened Spanish skills and appetites for conversation.

“Uno, uno, uno elefante,” the fifth-graders sang, starting to lead a circle of 2- to 5-year-old children in the Spanish folk round “Elefantes.” The younger kids clapped eagerly and held up little fingers to indicate the proper number of elephants. “Dos, dos, dos elefantes . . .”

In the outdoor playground, pairs of older and younger children spread out to find nooks in jungle gyms where they read each other “Las Cosas Grandes y Chicas,” a Sesame Street book identifying “things large and small.”

“What’s so cool is that they know the language. One of them even corrected me!” said Chatsworth student Felicia Platt.

“Some of them are too small to really understand,” said Jorge Armendariz, director of the center. “But they respond to being touched, being hugged, being pampered. . . . Whether you’re poor or rich, you appreciate the love and warmth you’re getting.”

When the activities ended, it was time to eat. Turkey and trimmings were served, along with enchiladas, beans and rice donated by Casa de Carlos, a San Fernando Valley restaurant. Preschoolers struggled to carry heaping plates back to tables bedecked with seasonal decorations.

“It used to be that parents at our school would cook all this turkey and everything and deliver it to these wealthy kids,” recalled Marian Shellenberger, a Chatsworth Hills fifth-grade teacher. “But then we just thought, ‘What a waste.’ ”

Added Brent Vallens, a parent and Chatsworth Hills trustee: “We’re not very ethnically diverse, so this is a bit of a reality check for our kids.”

Just then a Chatsworth Hills boy trudged toward Vallens, his arms and legs being controlled by two preschoolers, who informed him they were going to “imprison” him in the jungle gym.

“Watch out, you might have to stay here for a few days,” Vallens called out.

The boy’s wide grin said he probably wouldn’t mind.

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Getting There

Useful information on the best way to get to the airport.

Burbank Airport:

* Valet parking rates: Reduced from $17 to $13 per day effective today through Sunday. For $9 per day, travelers can park in Economy Lots A and B, located just north of the airport on Hollywood Way, as well as Lot C, just east of the airport on Thorton Avenue.

*

LAX:

By FlyAway bus service.

* Parking lot: Expected to fill up quickly, so plan to be dropped off at the terminal at 7610 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys.

* Parking rate: if you do park, the rate is $1 a day.

* Round- trip fares: $6 for adults and $3.50 for children.

* FlyAway schedule: Makes 98 scheduled trips to and from LAX.

Sources: California Highway Patrol, Burbank Airport, Van Nuys Airport and National Weather Service; Researched by STEPHANIE STASSEL / Los Angeles Times