Eighteen years ago, working parents in the Lifestyles department at the Rocky Mountain News would wail and lament every time schools closed for a teacher training day.

Such a change threw our delicate daily schedules into total disarray.

It meant finding a baby sitter, or some form of trustworthy day care, a surprisingly difficult and sometimes-expensive undertaking. Often, it meant sneaking into work late, or out early, to provide transportation, hoping the boss wouldn't notice, and then battling traffic and deadlines and that unique form of stress that comes with combining parenthood and an 8-to-5 job.

A co-worker captured our feelings precisely one day when she announced, facetiously, that she was launching MADO - Mothers Against Days Off.

Times haven't changed. In fact, they may have gotten worse.

Two Fridays ago, public schools in Denver started three hours late, the first of five such late-start days planned for the next few months.

Working parents were steamed, as described by Rocky education reporter Nancy Mitchell:

"Few decisions by the Denver Public Schools board have irritated parents as much as a Sept. 18 vote to start classes late five days this year so teachers can train together. The first of the 'late start' days is Friday, when the 75,000 students in the city's schools are being asked politely to go elsewhere for the morning."

Turns out many of the kids simply stayed out of school the whole day, a bad idea for a lot of reasons.

Now, I have no idea how much value there is in teacher training days, but let's assume they're very worthwhile. The bigger issue is this: A city as progressive as Denver should be able to make teacher- training mornings work so that half their parents aren't scrambling to find alternative care, cursing DPS the whole while.

Kudos to the Boy Scouts, who two Fridays ago provided day care at five elementary schools, charging parents $5 a head.

Good job.

But certainly, there are other civic, professional or nonprofit organizations in town that could watch DPS kids for three hours in the morning - and do it for free. Do it because it's the right thing to do. Do it because they want to give back.

National Public Radio recently aired an essay by comedian Paula Poundstone. It starts like this:

"People still seem full of hope after the historic election of Barack Obama. This is America, though - it can't last. Pleased and proud as we are, Obama hasn't been on American Idol, so we're bound to lose interest soon.

"That's why President-elect Obama needs to waste no time in harnessing this feeling and ask something of us. We'll spend. We'll save. We'll do laps. We'll wear sweaters. . . .

"Just ask us. We've adopted freeways and been up all night with night feedings. We'll bring an unwrapped gift. We'll bring canned goods. We'll collect flip-tops. Yes, we will.

"What do you need us to do, President- elect Obama?"

Could be a message in there for Denver schools. Most people hate organizing, but they'll sure roll up their sleeves and perform the labor - especially if it involves kids. Denver's full of semiretired baby boomers, many of whom I suspect would commit to a few mornings as volunteer day-care providers.

Maybe someone should ask them.

mwinte@aol.com