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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The Five Stages of Post Application Rejection Syndrome
On May 3, the California Department of Education posted its “Intent to Award” list for Cohort 7 of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Programs, and like many of my colleagues, I was disappointed to learn that none of the applications I had helped to prepare were on it. Having spent the last few years working as an intermediary, it had been some time since I’d had a personal stake in an application process, and I had forgotten how painful failure can be. As with any los...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
Let’s GROW! Tips for Program Replication and Expansion
Expanded learning programs have gotten a lot of attention in the first part of 2021 – and we deserve it! Funding from federal, state, and local governments is flowing to summer and out-of-school time providers, many of which are poised for large scale growth in the coming year. Thoughtful, intentional expansion is critical for our field to make the most of this opportunity. So, what should providers keep in mind as they ramp up? Our team at Public Profit helps mission-driven organizations take t...Read More
Funding childcare supports women
Becoming a new mom during a global pandemic has built resilience, patience, and a reckoning. A reckoning with the lack of societal and government support of children and families. A learning that as a result of the pandemic, women are having to make some tough decisions… ones that we’ve been making for decades, but with an added layer of fear. In the U.S., over 2.3 million women have left the labor force since the start of the pandemic, as shown in research done by The Women’s National Law...Read More
Looking forward to the end of 2020, preparing for what comes next
Personally, I feel drained by this year’s unpredictability and chaos. I have struggled to balance being present, preparing for what happens next, and not getting lost in too many “what ifs.” Professionally, it’s not much different. With so many urgent daily needs to take care of, it can be hard to make space to think about what will be needed in 2021 and beyond. So recently I did an experiment: I scheduled 1 hour in my day to pause and reflect on the needs of students and families, as well as th...Read More
Flipping The Script: Laying The Groundwork For A More Powerful Advocacy Force
In our work, there are always limited resources. This can, unfortunately, put those working toward the same goals at odds—competing for members, for donors, for grants, or for state or federal funding. This is the case for many nonprofits and afterschool providers and has been the plight of afterschool and child care advocates for years. The constant need for increased public investment has led our two groups to sometimes feel as though a win for one is an automatic loss for the other. This has ...Read More
3 Easy Ways To Be A Changemaker! It Makes Cents
Editor’s Note: Welcome new Breakfast Club Blogger, Femi Vance, Researcher at American Institutes for Research and President of the Board of Directors for CAL SAC. Femi is a youth development expert with over 15 years of experience. She currently works as a researcher and trainer focused on improving after-school program quality and outcomes, and helping OST professionals. She has a Ph.D. in Education from UC Irvine specializing in after-school development, and an M.P.P. from Johns Hopkins....Read More
How to Start the Afterschool Engineering Club You’ve Always Wanted
For all the popularity of STEM activities outside of school time, engineering remains something of a neglected stepchild. “Full STEM Ahead,” an America After 3 PM survey, found that the favored siblings in the STEM family, science and math, feature in a preponderance of available programs, 60 and 45 percent, respectively. Technology and engineering share the table scraps, named in less than a third of program offerings. And with the greater share of these programs focused on computing and progra...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
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