IN THE PIPELINE:

“Zac Efron is ready to see you.”

Upon hearing those words, the journalist from Huntington Beach grabs her pad and pencil, checks her digital recorder, has one last sip of water and then rises to follow the publicist through a hallway maze at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills.

If she’s nervous about interviewing the star of the “High School Musical” trilogy, she doesn’t show it, and in a minute she’s in a private suite.

“Have a seat,” the publicist says. “Zac will be right here.”

A moment later, the teen heartthrob breezes into the room, introduces himself to the journalist, and the two share some small, friendly talk. He seems approachable, chatty and extremely down to earth. Then the journalist starts her interview, calmly guiding the actor through a set of questions she wrote. He answers each one thoughtfully, and he comments at the end of the interview how much he enjoyed the interview.

“Best one of the day,” he smiles.

Moments later, it’s off to another room, where Zac’s co-star in “High School Musical 3,” Ashley Tinsdale awaits. Such is the life of a Time for Kids reporter, and I am lucky to have a front-row seat because she is our daughter, Claire, 12.

If you’re not familiar with Time For Kids, it’s a magazine (and website) created by Time magazine that reaches millions of children across the country each week. Targeting kids from kindergarten to sixth grade, each year Time For Kids also holds a competition to find its next 12 Kid Reporters. Last spring, Claire submitted a story, she learned that she made the final 20 in July, and then she was given a final writing assignment and also had to create a video about herself. From that final, 12 children were chosen to work for the magazine for one year, and Claire was thrilled to learn she was one of them.

She’s been a big fan of the magazine for years. Last year at her school, St. Bonaventure, it was her job to help distribute the magazine to students when it arrived each week. And each week, this young writer dreamed of being a part of Time For Kids.

And who wouldn’t? Each issue features incredibly interesting, educational and entertaining stories that present the news in a kid-friendly format. Kid reporters interview and write about world leaders, celebrities, monumental events and more. Claire worked extremely hard on her entries, as I’m sure all of the kids did. And now she finds herself on the pages of her favorite magazine.

On this particular day in Beverly Hills, she also had a one-on-one interview with Vanessa Hudgens, another of the stars from “High School Musical.” In just her first month of reporting she’s spoken with (and written about) a bestselling author, an Olympic gold medalist and a posse of celebrity pooches from the upcoming film “Hotel For Dogs.”

Time For Kids reporters each work with a mentor at TFK (in Claire’s case, a woman named Vickie An, who also writes for TFK). The mentors give out assignments, directions and deadlines — in a professional, clear (and fun!) way that lets the kids experience what it’s like to work with a professional editor.

I’ve always admired Time For Kids as a publication, and found myself reading it many times when Claire brought it home. I love the idea of an organization promoting journalism by allowing kids to not just get a taste of the process, but a full-fledged, hit-the-ground-running, full sensory experience.

However, watching how it works firsthand has been astonishing. These kids are thrust into the profession instantly as if on some magic journalistic carpet, covering stories and meeting people that will forever affect their lives. It is a lot of work to be sure, but for the child who loves writing, reporting and the thrill of covering stories, well, I cannot imagine it getting any better than this.

While Claire is driven home from Beverly Hills, the gravity of the day seems to have caught up with her (though she kept her cool and did not let on to the stars, she is a big fan of the “High School Musical” series). Exhausted, she says, “That was such an amazing day. But I didn’t want to act nervous. Because then you don’t get the story you need.”

Out of the mouths of babes, as they say. And in this moment I saw Claire growing up and growing into this remarkable role made possible by Time For Kids. At home, Claire reviewed her recorded interviews, her handwritten notes and then she got writing. After all, she was on deadline for the next day.

“High School Musical 3” opens Friday, and Claire’s interview with Zac, Ashley and Vanessa can be seen at www.Timeforkids.com starting the same day. (Zac even told Claire he was a Time For Kids reader when he was in school.) You’ll also be able to read the work of the other fine young reporters, and get a sense of what makes Time For Kids such a special publication (and nurturing program for up and coming journalists). There is much talk today about the quality of journalism and what must be done to make it better. Time For Kids is doing its part to create excellence as they help prepare the next generation of journalists who will cover the world — and no doubt covering it well.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 14 books, including the new “Huntington Beach Then & Now.” You can write him at chris@chrisepting.com.