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7 Steps to Protecting Children from Sexual Abuse (pdf to download)
40 Developmental Assets for Early Childhood
Investing in Universal Preschool (research+PDF)
Best Practices in Early Childhood Education (PDF)
Effects of Child Maltreatment & Abuse (PDF)
How to Raise a Reader: Lessons in Literacy
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Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise
Early Intervention to Prevent Violence
Children, Families, and Foster Care: Analysis and Recommendations
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Forty Developmental Assets:
positive experiences and personal qualities that young people need to grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.
The 40 Developmental Assets are concrete, common sense, positive experiences and qualities essential to raising successful young people. These assets have the power during critical adolescent years to influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible adults.
The Developmental Asset Framework is categorized into two groups of 20 assets. External assets are the positive experiences young people receive from the world around them. These 20 assets are about supporting and empowering young people, about setting boundaries and expectations, and about positive and constructive use of young people's time. External assets identify important roles that families, schools, congregations, neighborhoods, and youth organizations can play in promoting healthy development.
The twenty internal assets identify those characteristics and behaviors that reflect positive internal growth and development of young people. These assets are about positive values and identities, social competencies, and commitment to learning. The internal Developmental Assets will help these young people make thoughtful and positive choices and, in turn, be better prepared for situations in life that challenge their inner strength and confidence.
External Assets
The first 20 Developmental Assets focus on positive experiences that young people receive from the people and institutions in their lives. Four categories of external assets are included in the framework:
Support-Young people need to experience support, care, and love from their families, neighbors, and many others. They need organizations and institutions that provide positive, supportive environments.
Empowerment-Young people need to be valued by their community and have opportunities to contribute to others. For this to occur, they must be safe and feel secure.
Boundaries and expectations-Young people need to know what is expected of them and whether activities and behaviors are "in bounds" and "out of bounds."
Constructive use of time-Young people need constructive, enriching opportunities for growth through creative activities, youth programs.
Internal Assets
A community's responsibility for its young people does not end with the provision of external assets. Caring adults must make a similar commitment to nurturing the internal qualities that guide positive choices and foster a sense of confidence, passion, and purpose. Young people need this wisdom to make responsible decisions about the present and future. The framework includes four categories of internal assets:
Commitment to learning-Young people need to develop a lifelong commitment to education and learning.
Positive values-Young people need to develop strong values that guide their choices.
Social competencies-Young people need skills and competencies that equip them to make positive choices, to build relationships, and to succeed in life.
Positive identity-Young people need a strong sense of their own power, purpose, worth, and promise.
We invite you to download the pdf for your own use and to read about each of the 40 Developmental Assets in depth.
DOWNLOAD: 1 page document: The 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents. NOTE: RIGHT-CLICK /SAVE-AS TO DOWNLOAD OR FULL DOCUMENT WILL OPEN IN YOUR BROWSER.
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40 Developmental Assets for early childhood (ages 0-5) html / PDF
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Improvements Needed in the Diets of Infants and Toddlers
Findings from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study, a national study on the eating habits of more than 3,000 U.S. children ages 4-24 months, showed that infants and toddlers are consuming too many calories and eating inappropriate foods.
Although meeting their minimum vitamin and mineral requirements, many babies are eating an unhealthy diet, including high-calorie foods such as french fries and sweetened beverages. One-fourth to one-third of children six months of age ate no fruits or vegetables on a given day, and over half of toddlers consumed too much sodium.
Read more about the study at mathematica-mpr.com More research on this topic here.
Food for Thought:
Fancy, Shiny Child Care Settings Don't Necessarily Equal Excellence for Children
Most parents and grandparents in the USA probably think that cleanliness and order are among the most important qualities in a child care setting. Unfortunately for children they're wrong.
It's not that these qualities aren't nice, they're just not the most important things to look for in a preschool setting for young, developing children.In upcoming segments, we'll be exploring the characteristics of high-quality, developmentally and culturally appropriate child care and how to find a good fit for your children. Books for Parents & Children
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