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!
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3 quotes I use to spark motivation when I feel lazy, unmotivated, or hopeless Lazy isn’t permanent Let’s get something straight: no one feels enthusiastic, motivated, and productive all the time. Even if it seems like it from the outside. I know because I’ve been called a motivated, disciplined, and courageous person since I left a great job to become an entrepreneur. But I’m not like that all the time – not even close. There are plenty of times when, even though I absolutely love my life ...Read More
Right now, it seems that the world is a pressure cooker of challenges from which no one can escape. The COVID-19 pandemic and unprecedented job losses have created incredible stress and uncertainty. Police violence toward African Americans—and centuries-long institutional racism—have sparked outrage and demonstrations across the nation. In New York City, we saw a spike in gun violence over the July 4th holiday. Child abuse and domestic violence are on the rise—and we know actual rates are higher...Read More
“You will always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” This is a powerful quote from Wayne Gretzky, one of the most famous and highest-scoring professional hockey players of all time. It is also a very powerful lesson to share with kids. So many people, kids and grownups, let their dreams stay on their “wish list” instead of putting them on their “to do” list – leaving them there to die as the years slip by. But that doesn’t have to happen! Here are three common “stoppers” that keep peo...Read More
We are honored to share a reflection from Breakfast Club blogger @diegoarancibia about lessons learned from a pioneer and innovator, Bonnie Reiss. Bonnie was the mind behind the inception of Arnold’s All Stars, now known as the After-School All-Stars. Bonnie Reiss, a top advisor to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, was a lifelong liberal Democrat who found common ground with the Republican governor on education and environmental issues. Here are four tips from Bonnie for anyone to use for...Read More
Car in park, deep breath, let the day begin… Greeted by my custodian with an update of the daily damage caused by outsiders accessing a vulnerable campus, graffiti on the walls, drug paraphernalia on the playground, no sub coverage due to the shortage, deep breath, IEP meeting starting at 7:45 a.m., check the security cameras, contact the police department to come and investigate, deep breath, parent urgently needing to meet, and a big smile wishing students a wonderful day during morning ...Read More
Last month was the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. I’ve been thinking about it, obviously, and my experience living in New York City during that time. In the last two months, Floridians have been recovering from Hurricane Irma, Puerto Rico is completely devastated from Irma, and Texans are trying to recover from Hurricane Harvey. Mexico is trying to deal with the aftermath of the strongest earthquake to hit that country in a century, as well as their own Hurricane Kat...Read More
This is a two-part blog series focused on practical student recruitment strategies. This first installment features five tips and five more tips will be shared on Friday. Here are some common strategies when dealing with recruiting students for your program. Remember, you HAVE to be comfortable with the idea of the numbers game if you are going to succeed in achieving your attendance goals. Great programs worry about quality AND quantity. The New Yorker wrote an article shortly after the 2008 p...Read More
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