APAW 2026: : NJSACC Highlights Justin Brant

Justin Brant

Sr. Product Marketing Manager

Ministry Brands

Did you attend an afterschool program in your youth? Tell us what you did after school usually.

•  Yes. There were different programs that I was involved in from an after-care program while attending St Michael’s School (SMS) in Newark during my elementary years. This helped me understand the lessons I learned during the school day. Then there was the Boy Scout program, which was based out of the basement of the church at SMS, that taught me essential skills that I still carry with me today.

   

  Once I moved to Hillside, the Hillside Rec Basketball program was my go to; playing in after school basketball leagues throughout the the school year. SMS then developed (simultaneously with the Hillside program) a basketball team of its own. Outside of just playing ball, my interactions through basketball helped me develop leadership qualities, networking skills, how to deal with adversity, and also how to be a gracious in victory and/or defeat.

   

When did you become an NJSACC board member?

• 10/01/2022
   

How were you introduced to NJSACC?

• through Tyneisha Gibbs
   

In your view, why is afterschool important?

• Afterschool is important because it transforms the hours between school dismissal and the end of the workday into a safe, structured environment where students are supervised, supported, and meaningfully engaged. High-quality programs reinforce academic success through tutoring, homework support, and hands-on learning, while also building essential life skills such as confidence, communication, teamwork, and leadership. Just as critically, afterschool expands equitable access to enrichment, caring adult mentors, and positive peer relationships, and it provides working families with reliable support that strengthens stability at home and contributes to healthier, safer communities.

   
   

In your view, why is NJSACC important?

• From my personal experience, afterschool was not optional or incidental. After care at St. Michael’s School (SMS) in Newark gave me structure and reinforcement beyond the school day, Boy Scouts built discipline and responsibility, and school-year basketball leagues, both at SMS and those administered by Hillside Township, gave me mentorship, belonging, and real leadership training.

   

  Those programs helped shape my resilience, teamwork, and character, including learning how to handle adversity and how to carry myself with humility in both victory and defeat. NJSACC matters because it helps make more of those outcomes possible for more students by strengthening the people and organizations doing the work and ensuring afterschool remains valued, supported, and accessible statewide because ultimately; it shapes NJ children into upstanding adults.