Breakfast Club Blog
The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is a curated space where bloggers from around the world contribute content on a continual basis about a variety of topics relevant to in and out-of-school time. The BOOST Breakfast Club blog is at the heart of an ongoing dialogue where expanded learning and education professionals share their personal thoughts and stories from the in and out-of-school time field. They also tell us what they ate for breakfast!
The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is Brain Food for In and Out-of-School Time Leaders!
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Barbara Boxer Keynotes at BOOST Conference 2017
It was with great pleasure that we hosted BOOST Conference Keynote Speaker, Former Senator Barbara Boxer in 2017! BOOST Collaborative and Afterschool Alliance were privileged to honor Senator Barbara Boxer at the 2017 BOOST Conference in Palm Springs, CA. Jodi Grant, Executive Director, Afterschool Alliance, presented Boxer with an OSTI (Out of-School Time Innovations) Award on Wednesday, April 19th followed by a keynote address, audience Q & A, and book signing. Barbara Boxer Bio A f...Read More
A Journey of Self-Discovery
The students in our programs come from diverse backgrounds and face unique challenges in navigating the world they are growing up in. It is a privilege to be their guide in this journey called life. Many of the students we have in our programs are having experiences that may be similar to the staff working in our programs. The true challenge is being able to create an environment that supports the staff and students to feel emotionally and physically safe and not just survive but thrive in spite...Read More
If You Don’t Think Diversified Funding is the Only Way to Sustain Your Program, Think Again…
It’s 2017 and here’s what we’re up against: A billionaire Secretary of Education is committed to dismantling public education as we know it. The White House is targeting immigrants, many of whom are Latino and Asian families living in the communities we serve. A Congressional majority is determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act and reduce Medicaid, both of which provide the only healthcare insurance available to many of the families of the children who attend our programs. ...Read More
Designing Welcoming and Healthy Environments: 4 Activities
Designing welcoming environments for children and families has never been more important. Let’s look at some statistics and then talk action! Recent research shows that high school students report feeling “tired, stressed and bored” during the school day. 28% of U.S. students in grades 6–12 have experienced bullying and children with disabilities experience an increased risk. During the 2013-2014 school year, more than 1.3 million homeless children and youth were enrolled in pu...Read More
Do you love afterschool? Proclaim it loudly!
In partnership with the Afterschool Alliance, we hope you’ll pass this along to parents and friends to help raise awareness for afterschool programs by writing a short letter to your local newspaper. This is a repost from the Afterschool Snack blog. Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at the BOOST office! “This year, my Valentine is to a program that makes all the difference for me and for my family,“ So began West Valley City, Utah, resident Amanda Owens in her Salt La...Read More
Service-Learning and the Future of America and Education
We are honored to share this blog post provided by the National Youth Leadership Council. The original blog post is written by: Dr. Robert Shumer, NYLC Board Member, University of Minnesota, and Tiveeda Stovall, University of San Diego. America is in its second decade of the 21st century. While the situation is improving in areas of employment rates, health coverage, and increased graduation rates, there are major changes occurring in the US culture and landscape. The impact of technology, glob...Read More
How ‘Little Ole’ Baskets’ Can Inspire Your Kids
Welcome to the place where I spend my mornings and afternoons. The place where I share laughs, and tears, and everyday moments with 90 kiddos each day. The place that each day challenges and helps me develop and to be the very best for the students that I get to serve. And this month’s challenge? Engaging students during check in and announcements. Emphasis on engaging. At my specific site, students in our program spend the first 20 minutes in our cafeteria before other spaces are also ope...Read More
BOOST Master Class 2017: Ignite Their Passion with Project Based Learning
Are you an after school program leader looking to better connect students to the community? Have you heard about project-based learning but lack the skills to implement it effectively? Do you want to see every single one of your students engaged in work that both challenges them and ignites their passions? Master PBL in 5 Simple Steps Imagine telling your students that they will be designing and printing 3-dimensional medical devices to assist ophthalmologists with eye exams. Or, if 3D printing ...Read More
20 Resources that Create Cultural Exchanges in the Garden
Community gardens serve as a place-based tool for connection, empowerment, and cultural identity. Today, more gardens are popping up in school yards, in vacant lots, nonprofits, and housing developments. Educators are using gardens as creative and holistic tools for teaching beyond the walls of the classroom. In 2014, I wrote the piece, Using Gardens as Classrooms and shared how educators can use garden-based learning in formal and informal education settings with resources related to academic e...Read More
Youth Watch – Observing the Earth for NASA Scientists
Observing. Critical Thinking. Accurate Recording. Reflection. These are much needed skills for living in the complexities of today’s world. Developing these skills helps round out youths’ abilities to navigate in and contribute to a better world, whether as a concerned person or a student looking towards a future career in science or technology. You can support your students to have fun, learn the habits of mind of scientists, and gain some real skills observing and contributing data...Read More
Three Shining Lights Against a Dark Cloud
Under normal circumstances, I’m not one to be political in a public and professional forum, but really, I’m in need of some writing therapy. Every day, I read the latest news story about another negative appointment to the President- elect’s cabinet. Who knew there were so many people who both seem to despise the role of government AND also want to lead it? While alarming, those aren’t even the most upsetting parts of my daily doldrums. What really brings me down are the ...Read More
How To Strengthen Student Listening Skills with Podcasts
Today’s post is written by guest author Monica Burns and was originally posted on ClassTechTips.com. Monica Burns is an Author, Speaker, Curriculum & EdTech Consultant and Apple Distinguished Educator. Visit her site ClassTechTips.com for more ideas on how to become a tech-savvy teacher. Podcasts are a great way to help strengthen student listening skills. Podcasts are audio (and sometimes video) recordings similar to a radio program or television episode. A wide range of organization...Read More