The importance of developmental assets
Is your child getting 40 “building blocks” to be healthy, caring & responsible?Through extensive research, the Search Institute, an independent non-profit organization, has identified 40 building blocks that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible (details at www.search-institute.org/assets). YMCA of Delaware child care programs have been designed to support these developmental assets. You can too!

External Assets
Support
• Family support – Family life provides high levels of love and support.
• Positive family communication – Youth and parent(s) communicate positively, and youth is willing to seek advice and counsel from parent(s).
• Other adult relationships – Youth receives support from three or more nonparent adults.
• Caring neighborhood – Youth experiences caring neighbors.
• Caring school climate – School provides a caring, encouraging environment.
• Parent involvement in schooling – Parent(s) are actively involved in helping youth succeed in school.

Empowerment
• Community values youth – Youth perceives that adults in the community value youth.
• Youth as resources – Youth are given useful roles in the community.
• Service to others – Youth serves in the community one hour or more per week.
• Safety – Youth feels safe at home, at school, and in the neighborhood.

Boundaries & Expectations
• Family boundaries – Family has clear rules and consequences, and monitors the youth's whereabouts.
• School boundaries – School provides clear rules and consequences.
• Neighborhood boundaries – Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring youth's behavior.
• Adult role models – Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior.
• Positive peer influence – Youth's best friends model responsible behavior.
• High expectations – Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the youth to do well.

Constructive Use of Time
• Creative activities – Youth spends three or more hours per week in lessons or practice in music, theater, or other arts.
• Youth programs – Youth spends three or more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school and/or in community organizations.
• Religious community – Youth spends one hour or more per week in activities in a religious institution.
• Time at home – Youth is out with friends "with nothing special to do" two or fewer nights per week.

Internal Assets
Commitment to Learning
• Achievement motivation – Youth is motivated to do well in school.
• School engagement – Youth is actively engaged in learning.
• Homework – Youth reports doing at least one hour of homework every school day.
• Bonding to school – Youth cares about her or his school.
• Reading for pleasure – Youth reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.

Positive Values
• Caring – Youth places high value on helping other people.
• Equality and social justice – Youth places high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger and poverty.
• Integrity – Youth acts on convictions and stands up for her or his beliefs.
• Honesty – Youth "tells the truth even when it is not easy."
• Responsibility – Youth accepts and takes personal responsibility.
• Restraint – Youth believes it is important not to be sexually active or to use alcohol or other drugs.

Social Competencies
• Planning and decision making – Youth knows how to plan ahead and make choices.
• Interpersonal competence – Youth has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.
• Cultural competence – Youth has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds.
• Resistance skills – Youth can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations.
• Peaceful conflict resolution – Youth seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently.

Positive Identity
• Personal power – Youth feels he or she has control over "things that happen to me."
• Self-esteem – Youth reports having a high self-esteem.
• Sense of purpose – Youth reports that "my life has a purpose."
• Positive view of personal future – Youth is optimistic about her or his personal future.Clip this handy checklist for your family!