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!

Interested in becoming a blogger? Email breakfastclub@boostcollaborative.org

Click here to Register for a free account or click here to Login to your existing account.

Are You Focusing Too Much on What Is and Not Enough on What Could Be?

As a leader, no matter how many decisions you make or actions you take, nothing matters as much as your ability to bring people with different experiences and interests together in a common purpose that gives them a clear sense of direction and drives them toward excellence. Whether you’re just starting out or have been in your organization for some time, there’s a reason you’ve been given the opportunity to be in your position at this time in your life — and it’s likely to be more importa...Read More

Beneath the Iceberg – A Yoga Sequence to Support Children and Youth with Grounding, Self-Regulation, and Focus

Let’s face it. Our kids are stressed out and overwhelmed. In our modern times, children are over-stimulated and are struggling more and more with self-regulation, attention, and learning. Educators are feeling the impact of these increased behaviors, thus the reason for increased frustration in the classroom and teacher burnout. In fact, according to a recent poll reported by Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on the Teaching Profession; 68 percent of elementary teachers, 64 percent of middle s...Read More

Mindfulness Practices For Afterschool Program Staff, Students And Parents

Why take the time to pause and introduce mindfulness as a practice that enriches the lives of our students, parents, and program staff? How might mindfulness also benefit us as educators? Soon after the presidential election in November 2016, many Latino and Muslim students and families in our partnering Los Angeles schools were experiencing a lot of anxiety and fear. In addition to obtaining information about community resources, the students, parents, and staff in our afterschool programs were...Read More

F.O.C.U.S.: The Facilitative Feedback Flywheel

Treat your staff like children. Do you disagree with this statement? Is this notion shocking to you? We give children quality supervision and boundaries. We empower them to make decisions, and hold them accountable for their choices. We help them develop their skills. We give them feedback on their performance. We do the same with our staff. It comes from a place of love. Leadership is not about love – it is love. We love our staff like we love our children. We genuinely care about them. We want...Read More

Stop, focus, and reflect

As schools and afterschool programs across the country are gearing up for the 2010-11 school year, now is a good time to stop, take a breath, and reflect about where we are. While this might seem counterintuitive to some of us (I know many of us try to take that breather at the end of the school year), it’s always good to go into a new year with an open mind. As someone who conducts training, professional development, and technical assistance with afterschool program staff, I often focus o...Read More