Professional Development

I am a Sesame Street kid who has grown into a Sesame Street adult.  In case I haven’t told you before, I literally love Sesame Street.  There are four things that Sesame Street does amazingly well in its mission to teach preschoolers that those of us working with teens in foster care should take note […]

We have become a society that sensationalizes pessimism. The local and national news grabs our attention with depressing or shocking stories.  Controversial headlines lace the front pages of our favorite internet search engines.  Political progress has been bogged down with threats of crisis and doom.  Even childhood nursery rhymes have been turned into dark movies

Manuella is a tenth grade student in foster care in the state of New York.  Manuella loves photography, creative writing, soccer, and music.    Manuella is determined to complete high school and attend college in California.  She has her eyes set on higher education in San Francisco.  Manuella plans to become a professional photographer. She

I became a mother in my sophomore year in college.  How could I protect and nurture this little life? I think it’s safe to say that we have grown up together.  The more I learned about myself the more I was able to help my daughter embrace her individuality.  As my passion and purpose became

A goal is the purpose toward which an endeavor is directed.  Setting goals helps you clarify what you want and what you need to do to achieve it.    Today I want to provide you with a template for SMART goal setting with youth.   Related Blog: A Life List Is Better Than A Bucket

Happy first Monday in February! We ushered in 2013 with excitement about living on purpose and the enthusiasm continues.    As you know, The Teen Toolbox blog and services have been dedicated to supporting youth in foster care and raising awareness about the needs and potential of teens at rick of aging out of the foster

January is always a month of change and transition for me. I set big goals and work hard to eliminate old, unproductive habits. In January I’m ready to conquer the world. I ushered in 2013 with the same level of enthusiasm and intention but before I knew it the whole month had gone by.  

We are all aware of the sad statistics and educational obstacles that youth in foster care encounter.  A student must adjust to different curricula, different school culture, different teachers, and different peers each time they enter a new school.  Regularly changing schools often has negative social, emotional, and academic effects on youth already burdened by

Years ago I worked in a school-based program and at the start of each new school year I organized a parent workshop related to helping your child have a successful school year.  Topics included things like the importance of school and home partnership, parent-teacher conferences, homework and study tips, understanding your child’s report card, and the

Mastering certain life skills is essential to successful independent living.  Life skills includes more than learning how to prepare a meal, drive a car, schedule a doctor’s appointment, or dress for a job interview.  Our last blog post explored Common Core Standards And Youth In Foster Care. The Common Core Standards are skills acquired for use