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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It’s Time to Reframe the Narrative around Black Youth — and Youth Work Has Some Tools to Do So

This post originally appeared on the Breakfast Club Blog on June 9, 2017. His name is Jordan Edwards. And Jayson Negron. And Darius Smith. He was fifteen years old. He was unarmed at the time of his untimely demise at the hands of law enforcement. He was a young man of color caught on the wrong side of the thin line between potential and death. He should be participating in a summer jobs program, playing hoops at the Y, or compiling an initial list of colleges. He – Jordan, Jayson, and Darius – ...Read More

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Jessica Barajas

As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded of how much we value and appreciate our TEAMBOOST partners. So to say THANK YOU to our incredible community we will be spotlighting our BOOST Bloggers, Ambassadors, and Leadership Team members weekly through the end of December. We are continuing our BOOST Gratitude Blog Series with 10 things you didn’t know about Jessica Barajas, BOOST Leadership Team Member since 2020. I was looking to help with my Jr High Color Guard and Marching Band 🙂...Read More

Holiday Time!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”  Each time I hear that Christmas song, I wonder, “Is it really?” Nearly half of Americans sometimes or always feel alone. For some of us, the holiday season is a bittersweet mix of joy and grief. Maybe life didn’t go the way we expected because of disappointment, death, or divorce. I walked through a heart-wrenching divorce, and the effects of that split are felt by me and my kids every holiday. They share their time between me and their dad. For days,...Read More

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Rachel Bryant

As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded of how much we value and appreciate our TEAMBOOST partners. So to say THANK YOU to our incredible community we will be spotlighting our BOOST Bloggers, Ambassadors, and Leadership Team members weekly through the end of December. We are continuing our BOOST Gratitude Blog Series with 10 things you didn’t know about Rachel Bryant, BOOST Ambassador! Prior to working with youth, I was a lunch lady at a high school. It was there I discovered my...Read More

Are We There Yet?

This is the question I get from the backseat on nearly every drive with my five and seven-year-old daughters. This is also the question I’ve found myself asking over and over for the last 19+ months, as I’ve tried to hold it all together. My kids have needed me more than ever, to comfort and care for them through the added challenges of the pandemic. We are privileged to be able to shield them from the harshest effects of the pandemic. Yet, I’ve struggled to give them the time and patience that ...Read More

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Larissa Johnson

As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded of how much we value and appreciate our TEAMBOOST partners. So to say THANK YOU to our incredible community we will be spotlighting our BOOST Bloggers, Ambassadors, and Leadership Team members weekly through the end of December. We are continuing our BOOST Gratitude Blog Series with 10 things you didn’t know about Larissa Johnson, BOOST Breakfast Club Blogger! I have been a certified Aerobics Instructor since 1998 and started dancing as so...Read More

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Jessica Ochoa

As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded of how much we value and appreciate our TEAMBOOST partners. So to say THANK YOU to our incredible community we will be spotlighting our BOOST Bloggers, Ambassadors, and Leadership Team members weekly through the end of December. We are continuing our BOOST Gratitude Blog Series with 10 things you didn’t know about Jessica Ochoa, BOOST Leadership Team Member since 2020. I truly enjoy reading. Two of my favorite books are Lean In and How Wom...Read More

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Suzanne Hill

As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded of how much we value and appreciate our TEAMBOOST partners. So to say THANK YOU to our incredible community we will be spotlighting our BOOST Bloggers, Ambassadors, and Leadership Team members weekly through the end of December. We are continuing our BOOST Gratitude Blog Series with 10 things you didn’t know about Suzanne Hill, BOOST Leadership Team Member since 2014. How did you get into the OST, expanded learning, or educational field? I...Read More

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Melissa Perez

As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded of how much we value and appreciate our TEAMBOOST partners. So to say THANK YOU to our incredible community we will be spotlighting our BOOST Bloggers, Ambassadors, and Leadership Team members weekly through the end of December. We are kicking off our BOOST Gratitude Blog Series with 10 things you didn’t know about Melissa Perez, BOOST Leadership Team Member since 2017. How did you get into the OST, expanded learning, or educational field?...Read More

Libraries Rock!

Let me preface this by saying I do NOT work for a library. I did however have a Work-Study job at Tufts University in the microfiche and periodicals area – yes, yes, I am dating myself – severely dating myself! That said, I loved that job – it was so fun, it brought together all of my favorite interests – learning new things and then organizing said things. Did you know that there is a magazine for everything?? I mean EVERYTHING – Emu Today – that’s EMUsing &#...Read More

Hope Circle: An Opportunity for Creative Movement

Dancing engages nearly all of the brain at once. Just participating in dance is good for the brain, but dance can also be used to intentionally target really important development areas for children. Children can come to see what they are capable of by experiencing the influence they have when they engage in creating dance. One of my favorite creative movement experiences to guide children through, and adults for that matter, is the “Hope Circle” experience. I first participated in a...Read More

We’ve All Got a Spark. Let’s Light a Fire!

We have the power to light a fire in every child with whom we work. It only takes one person to change a child’s life. Think back on your educational influences and you will likely find someone who lit a fire in you that still burns today. Across the country I’ve asked leaders, “What childhood science experiences do you remember?” People share about baking soda volcanoes, science fairs, field trips, and dissections that lit a spark in them. I never hear about textbooks. D...Read More