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 views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company. Enjoy the brain food.

The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is Brain Food for In and Out-of-School Time Leaders!

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7 Specialties of the Afterschool Program Director

The director’s job can be very complex. We’ve come up with a powerful yet simple way to articulate what the job entails, illustrate how to effectively manage your time, and leverage your efforts to maximize your success. We have identified 7 Specialties that help bring simplicity to understanding a challenging and complex job. When directors only specialize in one of these areas (such as… “MY specialty is parent relationships”), they add value, but they never really...Read More

PLAY. Because Learning Should Be Fun!

It’s testing time again in public schools! Wooohooooo! Ah yes… Number 2 pencils and bubble-in responses, test taking anxiety and the all encompassing fear that even with all the impressive and meaningful gains your students have made through the year so far they might not do as well as you’d wish. Oh, and your evaluations and merit-based pay increases are on the line to boot!  Oh standardized testing how I love you so! As educators we are bound to standards and assessments and ...Read More

OST & Gaming: Angry Birds, Portals, Minecraft, Oh My!

“Five more minutes, please!” Sound familiar? This was my request to my parents every time we were leaving the pizza place and I had not yet conquered the next level of Pac-Man. I never thought I would hear this from students attending an out-of-school-time program during the summer in Austin, Texas. Yet, this past summer, this request was asked so much that parents spoke to program leadership about extending the summer program beyond the standard four-weeks. Why were kids so excited ...Read More

Who Leads Your Afterschool Program?

In my roles over the past decade, I’ve met quite a few afterschool and summer program leaders. Some of them strongly portray traits found in successful leaders. These adults set the tone for their sites, providing order and structure, flexibility, sternness, and a passion for children and making a difference in their lives. They communicate high expectations, but are nurturing in helping staff and children achieve them. They do not speak loudly, but carry a clipboard filled with procedures...Read More

Look Up! Space-based Science in Afterschool

With the New Year comes a time of reflection and renewal. With it comes celebrations of past accomplishments, and thoughts for new directions. We all want what’s best for our kids, to give them skills to succeed in life. Have you considered offering experiences that can develop your youths’ observational skills and natural ability to wonder? Afterschool is a wonderful place for kids to develop basic life skills – and this can have an even stronger impact when it sparks their interest...Read More

Makers in the Making: The Hour of Code

Last year, the Hour of Code global project launched to spread the field of Computer Science to students everywhere. Classrooms across the globe participated in what was one of the most widespread, Ed-tech engagements, ever. As of this entry, over 24 million students participated in the Hour of Code and collectively, they entered almost 1 billion lines of programming. As out-of-school specialists, one of our primary responsibilities includes the curating and testing of a various curriculum resour...Read More

Simple Ideas for Making Your Out-of-School Program Healthier

Out-of-school time providers have the unique opportunity to create environments where healthy eating and physical activity are encouraged. It doesn’t matter if you’re a before school program, an afterschool program, a summer program, a scouting organization, or a sports team you play a meaningful role in empowering youth to eat better and move more. As you think about your goals for 2014, below are resources and tools you can try throughout the year to promote healthy eating and phys...Read More

Messy Art & The Power of Sensory Play

There’s nothing like MESSY ART to kick off a powerful new year. Most kids love to get messy and “let go” of their inhibition with colorful paints and clays. But let’s admit it, most kids can’t too messy at home. So it’s our job and our OPPORTUNITY to give them plenty of messy art experiences in afterschool enrichment. Where else will they experience the pleasure and power of visual art? Remember that art experiences have a proven positive impact on young peopl...Read More

What Drives your After-School Program?

This new year of 2014 marks eight years of working in out-of-school (OST) time programs for me. While my passion for youth work has not changed over the course of that time, my approach to youth work has been profoundly shaped. I started my work in OST programs in a vulnerable neighborhood outside Philadelphia. I was a young college student looking for academic credit by putting in my time with at-risk youth. I loved this program and I loved the people I worked with. All of us had a passion and ...Read More

21st Century Wake Up Call: 3 Hot Tips on Social Media for #YouthServing Organizations

What’s trending? Do you hashtag your posts? What kinds of photos should you use to show your audience your extraordinary program? Have you used social media to raise money for your program? Are you using the online platforms to raise awareness about the quality of programs? Don’t think you need to? Well, it’s time for a 21st Century wake-up call. IT’S FREE ADVERTISING after all! I am passionate about the power of social media. In my coaching and travel experiences I have ...Read More

No Children Left on Their Behinds

One of the powers of play is that it gets us to exercise our bodies as well as our minds. – David Elkind Childhood is becoming increasingly sedentary. Tragically, many afterschool programs are becoming increasingly sedentary as well. Today, childhood is spent mostly indoors, watching television, playing video games and working the Internet. When children do go outside, it tends to be for scheduled events – soccer camp or a fishing derby – held under the watch of adults. In a typical ...Read More

Join the Discussion – Proposed Changes to 21st Century Community Learning Center Funding

As many of you have heard, the Partnership for Children & Youth (PCY) is putting together state legislation to make improvements to the 21st Century Community Learning Center program. The proposed changes are based on aspects of the current law that we’ve heard for many years create barriers or are difficult to administer in the field. Our goal is to make the funding easier to apply for and implement, and to be strategic about how we use federal funding in concert with our state after ...Read More