Celebrating BOOST Sweet 15 – Get to Know Jared Baar

BOOST is turning 15! As we approach our 15-year anniversary, we are reminded of how much we appreciate and value our TEAMBOOST partners and want to share their stories – their journeys through the in and out-of-school time field, their goals and aspirations, a few fun things about them, and some of the amazing things they are doing in their communities.

We will be spotlighting our BOOST Bloggers, Ambassadors, Leadership Team members, and Partners weekly through the end of the year to thank our wonderful team members for their contributions to our incredible community!

Meet BOOST Leadership Team Member Jared Baar

Jared is the Administrative Director at Rainbow Rising in Irvine, CA, and has been a BOOST Leadership Team member with us since 2019!

How did you enter the OST, expanded learning, and/or educational field?

I started as an after school teacher during college and found it to be rewarding.

What motivates you to do this work?

The fact that our work has a purpose. We are able to positively impact the lives of our students.

What are you currently reading or watching?

I’m reading a novel by Janet Lansbury called Elevating Child Care and I’m watching way too much T.V. since I have a newborn at home.

Share some of your greatest accomplishments.

Professionally, when I was recognized as an Exceptional Community Leader in 2019 and the subsequent work we did during COVID-19 to keep our students engaged.

What are some big goals you are working toward?

I’d like to open a child care center outside of Irvine sometime in the future.

What are your top three leadership qualities?

Patience, perseverance and vision.

Name a leader that you admire and why?

Barack Obama is someone I have great respect for. Even while actively leading our nation, he never seemed disconnected. He’s even-keeled and represented what our country should strive to be.

Share an inspirational quote that resonates with you.

“A child doesn’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

As a child, what were your career aspirations?

I thought I’d play in the NFL (lol).

What causes are you passionate about?

Global warming and human rights.

What is one of the highlights of your career?

Being named Director of the year in 2022!

How do you show kindness to others and/or share ways others have shown kindness to you?

I try to be thoughtful about my interactions with everyone. I think showing kindness is different depending on the situation but it’s important to always lead with kindness.

What career legacy do you want to leave?

I have no idea.

What’s the biggest mistake you made on the job and what did you learn from it?

As an Assistant Director, I was running a site due to the Site Director being on maternity leave. I didn’t realize we had a minimum day (not regularly scheduled) and didn’t have enough teachers on-site during release. Right when the students started to walk from the school to our program, a PARC member (similar to licensing) came in to do a review. We had 100+ students with only four teachers and it was the most embarrassing moment professionally. It taught me to always double check my work.

Tell us what you had for breakfast!

I’m running on empty.

From all of us here at TEAMBOOST, thank you, Jared, for being part of our Leadership Team and for sharing your story with us!