Some colleges have added yet another perk for parents who accompany their children to freshman orientation: babysitting for younger siblings.

While mom and dad trek off to financial-aid seminars and campus tours, Boston University and other colleges now offer supervised programs to entertain the sisters and brothers of the new freshmen.

According to today’s Boston Globe, the child-care services also serve as subtle propaganda for the next generation of college applicants. Siblings in Boston University’s program are rewarded with lollipops for correctly answering trivia questions about famous alumni. —Elizabeth F. Farrell