What are Developmental Assets?

Assets are the foundation or building blocks of what children and youth need in order to develop into cpable, caring and responsible people. The Asset building framework was developed by the Search Institute. It describes 40 Assets that when put together are powerful shapers of young people’s behavior.

The more Assets a young person enjoys the more likely he or she will make positive choices and committments throughout his or her life. Anyone can introduce the power  of assets. Everyone can do it!

How to build Assets!

Many adults support and nurture assets in children without thinking about it. Spending time with your child, getting to know their friends, wiping their tears after they scrape their knee at the playground or modeling and talking about the values and priorities that are important to you, are common everyday ways to develop relationships.

Search Institute has identified a framework of 40 developmental assets for children from birth to age 2 that blends Search Institutes research on Developmental Assets for 12-18 year olds with extensive literature in child development. For more information check out the Search Institues webiste www.search-insititute.org

                                 40 Developmental Assets                                                             For Infants and Toddlers (ages 0-2)

The developmental Assets are 40 opportunities, skills, relationships, values, and self-perceptions that all young people need to succeed. From Pass it on! Ready to use handouts for Asset builders, copyright 1999 by Search Institute, 612-376-8955; 800-888-7828. www.search-institue.org All rights reserved.

CATEGORY ASSET NAME AND DEFINITION Support 1. Family Support- Family life provides high levels of love and support. 2. Positive family communication- Parent(s) communicate with the child in positive ways. Parent(s) respond immediatley to the child and respect the child. 3.Other adult resources- Parent(s) receive support from three or more nonparent adults and ask for help when needed. The child receives love and comfort from at least one nonparent adult. 4.Caring neighborhood- Child experiences caring neighbors. 5.Caring out-of-home situations- Child is in caring, encouraging enviroments outside the home. 6. Parental involvement in out-of-home situations- Parent(s) are actively involved in helping the child succeed in situations outside the home. EMPOWERMENT 7. Children valued- The family places the child at the center of family life. 8.Child has role in family life- The family involves the child in family life. 9.Service to others- Parent(s) serve others in the community. 10. Safety- child has a safe environment at home, in ou-of-home settings, and in the neighborhood. Boundaries and Expectations 11. Family boundaries- Parent(s) are aware of the child’s preferences and adapt the environment to best suit the childs needs. Parent(s) begin setting limits as the child becomes mobile. 12.Out-of-home boundaries- Child care and other out-of-home environments have clear rules and consequences while consistantly providing the child with appropriate stimulation and enough rest. 13.Neighborhood boundaries- Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring the child’s behavior as the child begins to play and interact outside the home. 14.Adult role models- Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior. 15.Positive peer observation- child observes positive peer interactions of siblings and other children and has opportunities for beginning interactions with children of various ages. 16.Expectations for growth- Parent(s) are realistic in their expectations of development at this age. parent(s) encourage but do not push the child beyond his or her own pace. Constructive Use of Time 17. Creative activities- Parent(s) daily expose the child to music, art, or other creative activities. 18. Out-of-Home activities- Parent(s) expose the child to limited but stimulating situations outside of the home, Family attends events with teh childs needs in mind. 19. Religious Community- Family attends religious programs or services on a regular basis while keeping the childs needs in mind. 20.Positive, supervised time at home- Parent(s) supervise the child at all times and provide predictable and enjoyable routines at home. Commitment to learning 21. Achievement expectation- Family members are motivated to do well at work, in school and in the community and model this to the child. 22. Engagement expectations- The family models responsive and attentive attitudes at work, at school, in the community and at home. 23. Stimulating activity- Parent(s) encourage the child to explore and provide stimulating toys that match the child’s emerging skills. Parent(s) are sensitive to the child’s level of development and tolerance for movement, sounds, and duration of activity. 24. Enjoyment of Learning- Parent(s) enjoy learning and demonstrate this through their own learning activities. 25. Reading for Pleasure- Parent(s) read to the child daily in enjoyable ways. Positive Values 26. Family values caring- Parent(s) convey their beliefs about helping others by modeling their helping behaviors. 27. Family values equality and social justice- Parent(s) place a high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger and poverty, and model these beliefs. 28. Family values integrity- Parent(s) act on convictions and stand up for their beliefs,  and communicate and model this in the family. 29. Family values honesty- Parent(s) tell the truth and convey their belief in honesty through their actions. 30. Family values responsibility- Parent(s) accept and take personal responsibility. 31. Family values a healthy lifestyle and sexual attitudes- Parent(s) love the child, setting the foundation for the child to develop healthy sexual attitudes and beliefs. Parents(s) model, monitor, and teach the importance of ggod health habits, such as providing good nutritional choices and adequate rest and play time. Social Competencies 32. Planning and decision-making observation- Parent(s) make all safety and care decisions for the child and then model these behaviors. Parent(s) allow the child to make simple choices as the child becomes more independant and mobile. 33. Interpersonal observation- Parent(s) model positive and constructive interactions with other people. Parent(S) accept and are responsive to the child’s expression of feelings, interpreting those expressions as cues to the child’s needs. 34. Cultural observations- Parent(s) have knowledge of and are comfortable with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds and model this to the child. 35. Resistance observation- Parent(s) model resistance skills by their own behaviors. Parent(s) are not overwhelmed by the child’s needs and therby demonstrate appropriate resistance skills. 36. Peaceful confflict-resoluntion observation- Parent(s) behave in acceptable; nonviolent ways and assist the child in developing these skills when faced with challenging or frustrating circumstances by helping the child solve problems. Positive Identity 37. Family has personal power- Parent(s) feel they have control over things that happen to them and model coping skills, demonstrating healthy ways to deal with frustrations and challenges. 38. Family models high self-esteem- Parent(s) model high self-esteem and create an environment where the child can develop positive self-esteem, giving the child positive feed-back and reinforcement about skills and competencies. 39. Family has sense of purpose- Parent(s) report that their lives have purpose and model these beliefs through their behaviors. 40. Family has a positive view of the future- Parent(s) are optimistic about their personal future and work to provide a positive future for the child.