College and Career Preparation
Keeping America’s Promises to Children and Youth: A Search InstituteChild Trends Report on the Results of the America’s Promise National
Telephone Polls of Children, Teenagers, and Parents
Citation
Scales, P. C., P. L. Benson, K. Bartig, K. Streit, K. A. Moore, L. Lippman, B. Brown, and C.
Theokas. 2006. Keeping America’s promises to children and youth: A Search InstituteChild Trends report on the results of the America’s Promise National Telephone Polls of
children, teenagers, and parents. Washington, D.C.: Search Institute, Child Trends.
Key Findings
 The five promises for youth are caring adults, safe places and constructive use of
time, a healthy start and healthy development, effective education for
marketable skills and lifelong learning, and opportunities to make a difference
through helping others.
 About 30% of 6-17 year olds are meeting 4 or 5 promises, and more than 20% of
6-17 year olds are meeting none or 1 promise.
 Different groups of children do not have equal access to promises.
o Girls are more likely to meet promises and 15-17 year olds, regardless of
gender, are lease likely to meet promises.
o Non-Hispanic white children are more likely to meet promises than
Hispanic or African American children.
 25%-45% of young people are not achieving positive developmental outcomes.
 There is a linear trend linking increases in promises to increases in concurrent
well-being.
 Promises are clearly and strongly linked to young people doing better
developmentally in physical health, psychological and social health, educational
achievement, and civic engagement.
Link
http://www.itd-international.com/mercyforce/news/nationalpromisesstudy.pdf
Keywords
Academic Achievement, child Care, Development, Life Skills Development, Youth
Development.