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Namaste @ the Club

Let's face it...all of our kiddos can have trouble managing emotions and stress. With the things our members face on a regular basis, they can use all the coping and management skills they can get. I believe it is a great responsibility of ours to help provide some of these skills for our members. Enter the program: Namaste @ the Club. Namaste @ the Club is a program aimed to equipping members with the tools necessary to manage emotions, experience mindfulness, and understand

Observe This!

Oftentimes, a necessary part of our jobs is to observe and/or review our staff members or programs. Finding easy to understand, targeted review templates is difficult. These sample observation templates can be very helpful when attempting to ensure a quality Club experience. Quick/Drop In Observation This observation is ideal for a drop-in, quick review of a staff member. Click here for the At a Glance Observation created by Tony Ary, Program Director Program Centered Evaluat

Junior Staff

I love the Junior Staff program. I think, if run well, this program can be incredibly impactful. Here are some tips and tricks I have learned over the years to ensure the program is quality and meaningful. Implement an Application Process Have an application process that weeds out the members who will not take the program seriously. Also, the application process allows you to see how members will organize and if they will take pride in becoming a Junior Staff. I also think i

Engineering Week

Hello everyone! Long time, no post! I have been so blessed over the past couple of months. I got a promotion and work has been so time-consuming. But, today I am so excited to share with you about one of the most impactful, exciting weeks at the Club. In conjunction with National Engineering Week, all four Units in Springfield hosted a week full of programming, animation, building, and more. The week kicked off with an "Ask an Engineer" event hosted by U.S. Cellular. Members

Get Some Class(room management techniques)

I taught high school for three years. One of my most memorable experiences was my first day of school. Just like a child, I was filled with nerves and excitement. I spent the entire summer preparing. I bought a "teachery" wardrobe, organized a ton of office supplies and reviewed my collection of teaching materials. I was ready to be the coolest teacher this side of the Mississippi. I was going to inspire kids. They were even going to stand of chairs and tell me how much I ins

ABOUT ME

Hello! My name is Brandy and I love all things after-school. I am a Springfield, Missouri native and have spent the majority of my life working with children. As a former teacher and current Director of Programs and Unit Director for the Boys & Girls Club, I have found that some of these ideas and programs are effective in a variety of child care settings. Alternatively, some ideas and programs fail and it is important to write about those as well. So this blog is a way to achieve my life goal: to make the world a better place for kids. Also, I cropped this picture and I am smiling in it so you know you can trust me! Ok, love you bye!