The best time to start or expand your out-of-school time (OST) program is now! Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, many parents were eagerly awaiting their child’s turn for a spot in their local programs. Demand has increased even further since then. Research shows that for every child enrolled in an afterschool program, there are four waiting to get in. [1] We want to inspire you to push forward with enthusiasm this year, to serve as many children as you can–they want what you have to offer!

You may have heard of SMART goals and their effectiveness in turning aspiration into achievement. SMART goals help you create and follow an action plan that leads to your desired end result by providing the following framework for your goal: S - Specific - What do you want to achieve? Make your target specific and actionable. For instance, a goal such as “I want to do well in this class” is too broad, because it does not define what “well” means to you or provide actionable steps for you to tak

Full disclosure: I am not, nor have I ever been, a young professional. When I picture a young professional, I picture someone around the age of 21 who just graduated college and has a zestful drive to start their career. They look and talk like they have their act together, with their earnest smiles and steady eye contact, eagerly showing off accolades and robust portfolios. Essentially, this static image I’ve associated with the term “young professional” would prove to be perfect fodder for a

A sense of purpose is one of many important factors that make for a content, productive employee. No matter what field they’re in or position they fill, employees want to believe that what they do matters. Work is more than just a way to pay the bills. It fulfills the innate desire to meaningfully contribute to society. To help people, to inspire change, to share knowledge, to entertain–there is always a purpose behind every job. No matter the industry, it is possible to connect employees to a

Running an afterschool program is no easy task. Curacubby eases the stress of managing day-to-day operations by providing a centralized location for handling billing, enrollment, attendance, communication, and more. With Curacubby, you can automate processes and handle administrative tasks all in one place to save valuable hours for you and your staff. Digital tools reduce the burden of staff shortages, and our user-friendly system makes it easy to onboard new staff and volunteers. You need a p

Things are tough right now. In case you’ve been sleeping for the past two years, let me catch you up: the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, natural disasters, increasing attention on political extremists and acts of violence, increasing distrust of our government, social isolation, and what feels like an endless wave of fear and anxiety permeating our culture. If you know anything about difficult times in American history, you know that these are the times we tend to bond the most. These are th

Whether you realize it or not, we all have implicit biases. After all, our daily experiences and interactions define the way we view the world. Although our biases operate on an unconscious level, we must both recognize and confront these beliefs so that we can show more empathy and build stronger connections. If you’re ready to break down your own implicit biases, take these four steps:

When you were a child, you probably didn’t think “I want to have roommates when I grow up!” However, living with roommates doesn’t have to be the nightmare that so many people make it out to be. Whether you have roommates by choice or necessity, for the short- or long-term, there are many ways to make roommate life more enjoyable.

Loneliness is a prevailing and burdensome emotion we frequently bear in our modern lives. As with many other painful emotions, we often try to ignore our hurt instead of treating ourselves with the necessary compassion and self-care we need. Rather than suppressing your feelings or getting caught up in the “why,” consider the following suggestions as a guide when you feel lonely.