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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Generosity In Afterschool
In August of this year, the staff I am a part of had three days of professional development and planning for the upcoming school year. During this time together, we participated in an activity called My One Word. Each individual picked one word that would help guide his or her personal and professional life for the 2019-2020 school year. The word I chose for this year is “Intentional.” Great word and a great idea, right? Well, I am now only two months into being intentional about all I do and I ...Read More
A Holistic Approach To Helping Traumatized Kids, Adults, and Communities
I’m a voracious consumer of news. Each morning or lunch break, I set aside time to read headlines, scan news tickers, and flag the day’s trending developments on social media. Later in the day, I pick a few headlines or bookmarked videos, and dig into the details. When I have time, I read across news sources – traditional pieces, independent sources, and opinion bloggers – to provide more nuance to my understanding and sort out the general zeitgeist on the news of the day. Honestly, I think the ...Read More
Litmus Test Your Program’s Magic
The best organizations keep a constant eye on program improvement. Walt Disney once said, ”The real trouble with the world is that too many people grow up.” I believe that is also the trouble with a lot of well-intended organizations with incredible mission statements and passionate staff who work with children on a day-to-day basis, but get caught up in that controversial catch-phrase commonly known as, “adulting.” I’ve been guilty of it. We all get busy. Papers need to be filed, grants need to...Read More
You Shouldn’t Play With Your Food, But You Should Play With Your Data!
I’ve worked with many expanded learning programs in many settings over the years, making me one of the luckier researchers out there. Too often, though, I see program staff dedicating a lot of time and effort to collecting data, and almost none to learning from it. What a bummer. One reason why data goes in, but doesn’t come back out, is because teams have too few experiences with exploratory, low stakes, playful explorations of their data. Instead, data is used in a last-minute rush to get the ...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
Building Stronger Afterschool Programs With Nutritious, Reimbursable Suppers
Afterschool programs are a critical resource for communities and provide measurable benefits to students academically, socially, and behaviorally But did you know that in addition to providing valuable learning opportunities, afterschool programs also can tap into funding to provide meals alongside enrichment and educational activities? The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Afterschool Meal Program provides funding to serve suppers and snacks to children after the school day ends, on wee...Read More
Math IS fun!
No, I am not being sarcastic. Math often gets a bad rap. It can be considered a four letter word! There was even a talking Barbie that exclaimed, “Math class is tough!” (You can read about the controversy here and even see her in action here.) Are we bringing up a generation of kids who think they don’t like math at a time when math is key and so important? In my 20 years at Collaborative Classroom, I have had the opportunity to work with many folks, both young and old across the country. Many w...Read More