At the start of 2019, Career Carnival for Kids was but a spark of an idea: quite simply, to encourage career exploration among younger students. Over the course of many months – and many discussions over many cups of coffee, leading to very many emails, calls, and meetings with the individuals who would soon become our first Career Guides – that little spark became a successful pilot program.  

We held our first Career Carnivals at Butler Community Center, Center Grove Elementary School and Parsippany Library. Collectively, these events introduced about 350 students to an array of jobs across such industries as automotive, aviation, culinary, engineering, health and wellness, law enforcement, military and more.

After being sidelined by the pandemic for too many months, we “rebooted” Career Carnival for Kids in October 2021 at Horseshoe Lake Park in Roxbury. The event was a big success, with over 200 attendees and about 40 Career Guides sharing their insights and enthusiasm.

We decided to experiment with a very different sort of venue, so we held our next Career Carnival at Rockaway Townsquare Mall in May 2022, with over 350 kids and families coming out to learn from over 30 Career Guides.

And in October 2022, we returned to a library, this time bringing 25 terrific Career Guides to Chester Library to meet with over 80 engaged attendees.

Our next stop was the Showboat Atlantic City, where over 400 attendees met an amazing group of professionals, a couple of hard-working canines, and two well-behaved chickens.

Everything old was new again at Rockaway Townsquare Mall when we returned in May 2023, and then we couldn’t resist revisiting another favorite venue: Parsippany Library in November 2023.

In the spring of 2024, we introduced a series of Careers That Create Change events: Public Safety & Service in Morristown, Health & Wellness in Parsippany, and Environmental in Lincoln Park.

None of this could have happened without our outstanding Career Guides, many of whom have joined us for multiple events. All told, Career Guides from well over 100 companies, nonprofits, professional associations and schools have shared their enthusiasm and knowledge, along with engaging hands-on activities, fun games, and lots of fabulous takeaways, to inspire the next generation of workers.

Check out Upcoming Events to see what’s next on the Career Carnival calendar!