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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In Spring Time, Kids’ Thoughts Turn to … Cybersecurity Summer Camp?
It’s not quite as big as Opening Day for Major League Baseball, but early spring is the time for one of the biggest events in cybersecurity summer camp season: The opening of registration for GenCyber camps, free education and awareness camps in cybersecurity for K-12 students and teachers. The National Science Foundation and the National Security Agency jointly run the GenCyber program, which features summer camps held at university campuses across the country. 2019 will be the sixth y...Read More
3 Tips For Engaging Teens In The Summer And In Afterschool Meal Programs
When it comes to the federally funded Afterschool and Summer Meal Programs, what is the trick to engaging teens better? Across the country, both anti-hunger advocates and out-of-school time program providers are asking themselves this very question. First, a refresher: The Afterschool and Summer Meal Programs provide funding to serve meals and snacks afterschool and during the summer months when school is not in session. Both a snack and supper can be served to children and teens up to age 18 at...Read More
Reliving The Past (In A Good Way)!
If you’ve ever listened to the Hamilton musical soundtrack, or you had the unique opportunity of seeing the production for yourself, one of their best songs is Yorktown. It describes the battle of Yorktown in 1781; the battle that had the British wave the white flag in surrender! A line in the song reads, “And so the American experiment begins, with my friends all scattered to the winds…” In the Summer of 2016, I was playing that song multiple times a day. Why? As a member of the After-Sch...Read More
The Need For Green!
I had scrambled eggs, hash browns, and sausage for breakfast this morning. I never do that. I am now nursing a stomach ache! Maybe I should have gone with something greener. And… there is my blog topic! The need for Green! Did you know that California has a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights? It states that every child has a right to play in a safe place, explore nature, learn to swim, go fishing, follow a trail, ride a bike, go boating, connect with the past, plant a seed, and – my favorite – ca...Read More
3 Easy Ways To Be A Changemaker! It Makes Cents
Editor’s Note: Welcome new Breakfast Club Blogger, Femi Vance, Researcher at American Institutes for Research and President of the Board of Directors for CAL SAC. Femi is a youth development expert with over 15 years of experience. She currently works as a researcher and trainer focused on improving after-school program quality and outcomes, and helping OST professionals. She has a Ph.D. in Education from UC Irvine specializing in after-school development, and an M.P.P. from Johns Hopkins....Read More
New Adventures In Youth Gardening
If you’ve ever watched a child taste and enjoy a vegetable that she grew herself — the same vegetable that she won’t eat at home that’s from the grocery store — you know some of the power of youth gardening. Children and teens benefit from gardening in many ways, from eating more fruits and vegetables and increased nutrition knowledge to improved leadership and collaboration skills. Out-of-school time gardening programs can be connected to school gardens or take place in community ga...Read More
Self-Care Ideas: Give 1/Get 8
Youth development is hard work and often emotionally draining; taking even a few minutes for self-care can be beneficial for our mental and physical health. I know what you’re thinking, self-care is all about juicing, advanced yoga poses, beach vacations, and lavender-scented spa days. Although these absolutely fall into the category of self-care, there are plenty of simple ways to practice self-care without breaking the bank. For this article, I want us to reimagine self-care by bringing one of...Read More
Raising Our Kids: A Long-Term Approach
I have had an experience several times in the last few weeks that, I am sure, happens to all of us who have worked with students for a certain number of years. If it has not happened to you yet, give it time. It will. Someday, you will run into your former students and they will have turned into adults. It is always a little strange to me when I see my “kids” as adults. I know that time keeps marching on and those kids I have worked with will grow up and continue to live their lives. They will g...Read More
Learning to Give Time, Talent, and Treasure (Webinar #1)
In 2018, the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana (YPII) and Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy partnered to host a free 4-part webinar series designed to support next-gen leadership and giving. Sessions featured national experts and Lilly Family School of Philanthropy faculty and students sharing research, resources, and examples of classroom-based grantmaking programs. The first webinar, “Learning to Give Time, Talent, and Treasure,” addressed how young people bring pas...Read More