The city Department of Parks and Recreation is looking for 450 people who like kids to serve as student aides in the annual Summer Fun Program.

The Honolulu program is seeking "people who are enthusiastic, flexible and creative and who genuinely like children" for the seasonal post. The job pays $7.50 per hour, or $8.50 for those with at least one year of experience.

City Parks and Recreation Director Lester Chang said the program hires about 550 student aides annually. "Right now we have about 100 applicants. The number of aides available will affect how many children each site can accommodate."

The city offers Summer Fun at 63 sites around O'ahu, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. If they can hire enough staff, Chang said the program can enroll about 10,000 children. The registration fee is $25, which can be waived for low-income children, plus activity and excursion fees totaling less than $50. This year's Summer Fun Program runs from June 13 through July 28.

Summer Fun aides handle supervision of children, planning lessons and teaching skills such as sports, arts and crafts, music and dance or Hawaiiana to children who have completed kindergarten through sixth grade. Summer Fun aides also help oversee junior leaders, unpaid volunteers who are at least 13 years old and between seventh and 12th grade.

Summer Fun aides must have completed at least 24 college credit hours and must have a basic first aid certificate by the time they start work. Orientation and training begins May 30 and the jobs begin June 5.

For more information, call the Department of Parks and Recreation at 692-5854 or check online at www.honoluluparks.com.