KIDS THESE DAYS:Changes are to be congratulated

No, this Tuesday column is not an April Fool joke. First of all, it’s May, and based on the reaction to the April 1 column in 2006, I don’t think I’ll be playing tricks on readers anytime soon.

The change from this column to once a week on Tuesdays is part of a master plan, one whose theme will be a constant drumbeat here.

What you need to know first is that thanks to some hard work and excellent leadership, this newspaper is healthy. That it is undergoing a face-lift despite its success is something that anyone in any business should note.

Most businesses, you see, make similar types of changes when they are faced with challenges to overcome. Otherwise, it’s the old “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. And while that attitude may be comforting to the bean counters, it is certain death to the enterprise.

Every organization, whether it is a school board, a florist or a gas station, must remain dedicated to the philosophy of continuous improvement. For most of us, continuous improvement means change, and we have been told over and over again that we don’t like change.

The Daily Pilot newspaper you have been reading since Sunday is better than the one you read last Saturday because it represents an effort to meet or exceed your expectations.

This column has been redeployed. It now appears on a new day, as you can see, and it serves a new purpose. In a way, it has come full circle, for it will be devoted to reporting and commenting on the single most important issue in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa; a topic that used to be the focus of this space once a week a few years ago.

No, I will not be writing about the surf, but about whatever in our community is relevant to the care and feeding of our children.

That’s a lot of ground to cover. A strong case could be made that nearly everything we do in this community has something to do with children, whether it is the low compensation of our teachers, the responsibility for managing truant kids or the health of our parks.

Speaking of parks, while I was in Philadelphia last week, a columnist in the Philadelphia Inquirer advanced the theory that a city’s health is directly related to the health of its parks.

The writer pointed out a couple of instances in which neighbors of run-down, drug-infested parks took them back on their own. Subsequently, property values began to rise and the streets got cleaner.

The parks once again became safe for kids and, in general, there were bounces in the steps of those who live in the areas. That bounce is called pride.

We are fortunate that we live in an area in which parks are not overrun by drug dealers and prostitutes. Our local challenge is not the health of our parks, but their number.

Today, after years of discussion, there are still not enough places to meet the demands of kids who want to play soccer and baseball.

Parks are only one of the subjects to be covered. On a higher level are the options for our school kids. One letter in the Philadelphia Inquirer wondered what I’ve wondered for years, that is, why we are trying to teach algebra to kids who cannot, should not or do not want to go to college?

A community does raise its children, whether it is the teachers, day care workers, Little League or soccer coaches or any of the countless number of people who interact with our kids each day.

Going forward, I invite you to let me know about what is happening in our community, whether it is our schools, parks, athletics, our challenges or our opportunities.

And like all good enterprises, this newspaper will keep improving.