What can after school programs do to support children who are experiencing fears related to the impacts of deportation? Many of our programs work with children and families who have deep fears about the changing immigration climate and increased deportations. Knowing what to do to support students and families on these issues can be hard for staff. They want to help but do not have expertise in this area. They also want to know what is ok to say and do in their role. Here are some actions that c...Read More

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

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

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