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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STEM Ready America Report Shows Off Afterschool STEM Learning
The story of the year in afterschool STEM learning just might have come out this week in Washington, DC. At the National Press Club, people from all corners of the afterschool STEM world gathered to learn about STEM Ready America, a new report on afterschool STEM that effectively defines the national paradigm for activities in the field. Program leaders and policy thinkers, corporate and non-profit executives and funders, STEM educators and researchers from all levels discussed, reviewed, and en...Read More
Barbara Boxer Keynotes at BOOST Conference 2017
It was with great pleasure that we hosted BOOST Conference Keynote Speaker, Former Senator Barbara Boxer in 2017! BOOST Collaborative and Afterschool Alliance were privileged to honor Senator Barbara Boxer at the 2017 BOOST Conference in Palm Springs, CA. Jodi Grant, Executive Director, Afterschool Alliance, presented Boxer with an OSTI (Out of-School Time Innovations) Award on Wednesday, April 19th followed by a keynote address, audience Q & A, and book signing. Barbara Boxer Bio A fo...Read More
Do you love afterschool? Proclaim it loudly!
In partnership with the Afterschool Alliance, we hope you’ll pass this along to parents and friends to help raise awareness for afterschool programs by writing a short letter to your local newspaper. This is a repost from the Afterschool Snack blog. Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at the BOOST office! “This year, my Valentine is to a program that makes all the difference for me and for my family,“ So began West Valley City, Utah, resident Amanda Owens in her Salt La...Read More
Civic Engagement and Education
Today is Election Day. And while we have read, watched, discussed and likely studied candidates, policies, and perspectives, our civic education shouldn’t slow down after this important date. As educators, we have the opportunity to creatively teach and engage young people in civic education. Heather Loewecke, Senior Program Manager, Afterschool and Youth Leadership Initiatives at Asia Society has written a timely piece, Civics Education is the Foundation for Global Citizenship, that we highly e...Read More
Findings From an Afterschool STEM Learning Initiative: Links to Professional Development and Quality STEM Learning Experiences
The third issue of the Journal of Expanded Learning Opportunities (JELO) has arrived! This spring issue launched at the 2016 BOOST Conference and features a conversation about quality programming in afterschool, an article on the role that social-emotional learning can play to close the achievement and learning gaps, and an article focusing on the links between professional development and quality STEM learning experiences. You can visit the first week’s installment about social emotional ...Read More
Filling in the Gaps: How Developmental Theory Supports Social Emotional Learning in Afterschool Programs
This spring issue of the Journal of Expanded Learning Opportunities (JELO) launched at the 2016 BOOST conference and features a conversation about quality programming in afterschool, an article on the role that social emotional learning can play to close the achievement and learning gaps, and an article focusing on the links between professional development and quality STEM learning experiences. The JELO serves as an important resource for the expanded learning field as well as makes the connec...Read More
It’s (Out-of-School) Time for Engineering
In at least two ways, out-of-school programs are little different from their school-day counterparts. For one, STEM education is popular and widely available. Nearly 70 percent of out-of-school programs offer some kind of STEM content. For another, engineering, the “E” in STEM, is the least developed part of the picture. As with K-12 schools, out-of-school programs focus far more on science and math. Engineering, the driving force behind all the tools and technologies that make our l...Read More
My Why: Dare Mighty Things
In the afterschool world, program leaders and staff nurture the whole child, providing them a safe space to learn, grow, and connect to others. In the afterschool space, we see many kids making daily acts of bravery – some extending themselves simply by showing up, participating, or trying something new. Through youth development, kids are encouraged to dare greatly to be themselves, come into themselves, and develop their passions. In the world of space exploration, we also “dare mighty t...Read More
How to Keep Applications from Keeping Kids Out
When I write a blog it’s usually when I’ve reached a point where I’ve figured something out, or at least enough about something to feel that I’m ready to share “what works.” This time I am trying something different. I am writing because I have a question that I don’t know the answer to and a challenge that I am trying to figure out. We all have to administer paperwork in our after-school programs. We need the families of our kids to complete application...Read More
My Why: Pleasurable and Meaningful Work
There are those in my family who still don’t “get” what I do and wonder, sometimes audibly, if I will ever get a real job. They ask, “Why form a non-profit organization. Do you want to be poor all your life?” I am someone who didn’t plan to work in this profession. When I was in college, studying biology and chemistry, I knew working with kids would someday make me a better Dad, so I took a part-time work-study job in an afterschool program. Then I got hooked ...Read More