Parenting with Assets
By Sherri Meyer
I’ll bet if someone asked you about your parenting style, everyone would have a
different answer. No one would say they parent in regard to the 40 Developmental
Assets.
This article will share some information on
the Search Institutes 40 Developmental
Assets, what they are, how to find them,
their importance, and what resources are
available to families on their website. Read
on and discover a whole new world of
parenting and discover that you probably
already incorporate a great deal into your
relationship with your school ager!
The Search Institute for many years now has studied and interviewed over 2.2 million
youth. The Search Institute, through their studies, has shown that the more of the 40
developmental assets a child has, the more likely they are to make better choices and
the less likely to engage in risky behaviors. The assets are common sense approaches
to providing positive experiences for youth that will help them to grow and develop into
caring young adults.
The great thing about these assets is that the Search Institute has identified assets for a
variety of age groups that build on one another. At http://www.searchinstitute.org/developmental-assets families can find Developmental Assets for the
following age groups in many languages: Preschool ages 3-5; Kindergarten – 3rd grade
ages 5-9; middle childhood ages 8-12; and adolescents ages 12-18.
All assets are broken down into External and Internal assets. What is wonderful is that
each asset is described and then if a parent wants information on what this would look
like in practice through parenting, there are examples as well - all at the click of a
button!
From a survey of 150,000 youth in 2003 that represented 220 communities in the US,
the average young person in grades 6 – 12 only experience 18.6 assets out of the 40
Developmental Assets. Knowing what we do about how important these assets are for
children to lower risky behavior and make better choices, it is important for us all to be
aware of these and incorporate them into our parenting and guiding youth and younger
children.
117 Jones Jaggers Hall 1906 College Heights Blvd #11098 Bowling Green, KY 42101‐1098 Email: ccrr.expert@wku.edu 270‐745‐2216 or 800‐621‐5908 Fax: 270‐745‐7089 Web: http://www.wku.edu/ccrr‐wku/ A few of the assets that youth report (less than 30%) that they do not have include:
• Support: positive family communication, caring school climate, parent
involvement in school;
• Empowerment: community values youth, youth as a resource;
• Boundaries and Expectations: adult role models;
• Constructive use of Time: creative activities;
• Commitment to Learning: reading for pleasure; and
• Social competences: planning and decision making
Discover Search Institute at http://www.search-institute.org/developmental-assets
where you will find free resources, free asset resources such as podcasts, parenting
tips and parenting tools and much more. Discover a whole world and new way of
viewing youth in your home, your community, and in your neighborhoods. Youth have
much to give and many ideas to share. Give it a try – ask youth their opinions and be
ready to listen! We have much to learn from them.
Copyright © 2009 WKU Child Care Resource and Referral
Funded in part by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services through the University of Kentucky Research Foundation.
Equal Education and Employment Opportunities.
117 Jones Jaggers Hall 1906 College Heights Blvd #11098 Bowling Green, KY 42101‐1098 Email: ccrr.expert@wku.edu 270‐745‐2216 or 800‐621‐5908 Fax: 270‐745‐7089 Web: http://www.wku.edu/ccrr‐wku/