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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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
Traveling, Speaking And Collaborating For Future Education Equity: A Report From The Road
This blog is being republished with permission from TGR Foundation. It was originally posted on November 1st, 2018. —————————————————————————————————————————————————– October presented me with multi...Read More
Oops! I Hired The Wrong Person: How To Hire The Right Afterschool Teacher
Reviewing resumes, setting up interviews and hiring new employees is a routine task for afterschool directors and supervisors; however, failure to recognize signs of a possible lousy hire can reap damaging consequences for your afterschool program. Selecting the right candidate cannot be a hit or miss. Frontline staff plays a critical role in ensuring students are learning in a safe and supportive environment. While experienced leaders understand that everyone has a learning curve, season...Read More
Connection Before Content
Author, storyteller, and researcher, Brené Brown defines connection “as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” Sit with that for a minute. We are all wired for connection. While it’s true that a connection can happen organically as the activity moves along, the practice of intentionality is a key to ensuring real connection and authenticity....Read More
Translating Is Not Modifying: Tips for Teaching English Learners
Editor’s Note: Welcome first-time BOOST Blogger Lesley Morgan. Lesley is an English Learning Specialist in West Virginia. She works with students (K-12) and has been teaching for seventeen years. Lesley is also an Adjunct Faculty for Marshall University. —– As I stood in front of the classroom of 40 Japanese boys and girls, I paused. Inside I was terrified and my thoughts were racing: What had I done? Why had I left my family to live in a foreign land? Was this even going ...Read More
What Can Expanded Learning Do To Improve College Access?
There you are. It’s June and you’re sitting at a graduation watching a former student from your program dressed in cap and gown ready to cross a stage into the future. Imagine, for a moment, all the people that went into ensuring those students cross that stage? An innumerable amount of hours went into looking at transcripts, meeting with students, and talking to parents. But what can expanded learning programs do to improve college access for their students? Here’s something to consider: what r...Read More
How Do You Provide Youth Voice and Choice?
When program providers in the Expanded Learning Field are asked if they incorporate youth voice and choice, the answer is often a quick “yes” or “of course.” This blog is about digging a little deeper into what incorporating youth voice and choice can look like, beyond some of the traditional practices. I am a firm believer that our field of work is all about providing services and learning environments where young people feel both physically and emotionally safe. And in turn, youth are more li...Read More
Are You Leading With WHY?
What gets you out of bed in the morning — what you do or why you do it? If you are in the youth development field, I have a feeling that your “why” motivates you the most. You’re driven to make a positive difference in the lives of young people. In his book “Start with Why,” Simon Sinek argues that we are pretty good at saying what we are doing and how we are doing it, but not always good at explaining the why of what we do. His message to the business community: making the why clear can i...Read More
Champion Wellness With Fitness Professionals: 3 Tips To Get Started
The nation’s celebration of afterschool, Lights On Afterschool, is just around the corner. Now is a great time to engage new partners and participants in your out-of-school organization. This fall try something new by partnering with local fitness professionals to attract attendees and strengthen your organization’s commitment to wellness – who knows, you might get the attention of a new funder or political champion! Not sure where to start? Here are 3 tips from my friend Haley Hopkins at The Am...Read More
Title 1…Day at a Time
Are you a school site administrator in a Title 1 school, an administrator at a community-based organization, or an after-school site coordinator? If you answered yes, then you probably have had days where you leave work taking a deep breath and telling yourself that tomorrow will be a new day. If this is you, then you’ve been on my mind as you gear up for a new school year. In my last blog post, I shared how I would refer to myself as a Recovering Principal. I have proudly lived up to that title...Read More
Youth Development at a Hot Dog Stand
Good youth development practice can emerge in unusual places. For thirteen-year-old entrepreneur Jaequan Faulkner, good youth development came in the form of a street vendor permit. The teenager opened a hot dog business in his Minneapolis neighborhood on Penn Avenue North, meeting with early success and a booming business. Then young Jaequan ran into an obstacle that nearly upended his entrepreneurial pursuit – he lacked the proper permit to run a freestanding food stand. Jaequan had an idea an...Read More
Discovering and Engaging Diverse Philanthropic Youth
Editor’s Note: A special thank you to author @jillgordon for sharing the second of four webinars from the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana’s 2017 webinar series designed to promote next-gen leadership and giving opportunities. Today’s post focuses on recruiting diverse youth to your programs that represent the communities you serve. Click on the webinar link below “Discovering and Engaging Diverse Philanthropic Youth” for the full program. And keep your eyes open later in Jun...Read More