KNOWLEDGE OF PARENTING

AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

PROTECTIVE & PROMOTIVE FACTORS

No parent knows everything about children Numerous longitudinal studies have

or is a “perfect parent.” An understanding of demonstrated that parental behaviors that lead
parenting strategies and child development to early secure attachments—and which remain
helps parents understand what to expect and warm and sensitive as children grow older—lay
how to provide what children need during the foundation for social-emotional, cognitive
each developmental phase. All parents, and and moral competencies across developmental
those who work with children, can benefit from periods. For example, when a young child
increasing their knowledge and understanding of solicits interaction through babbling or facial
child development, including: expressions and a parent responds in a similar
• physical, cognitive, language, social and manner, this type of parent-child interaction
emotional development helps to create neural connections that build
• signs indicating a child may have a later social-emotional and cognitive skills.
developmental delay and needs special help In addition, advances in brain research have
shown that parental behaviors that forge secure
• cultural factors that influence parenting emotional attachments help young children learn
practices and the perception of children to manage stress. Secure attachments can offset
• factors that promote or inhibit healthy child some of the damage experienced by highly
outcomes stressed young children as a result of trauma
• discipline and how to positively impact child (e.g., maltreatment or exposure to violence.)
behavior In contrast, parental care that is inconsistent,
Gaining more knowledge about child unresponsive, detached, hostile or rejecting
development and developing greater skills in gives rise to insecure attachments. Young
parenting are particularly important given the children who experience insecure attachments
recent advances in the fields of neuroscience, display fear, distrust, anxiety or distress and are
pediatrics and developmental psychology. at risk for long-term adverse effects on brain
Scientists in these fields have provided much development including developmental delays,
evidence of the critical importance of early cognitive impairments, conduct problems,
childhood as the period in which the foundation psychopathology and relationship challenges.
for intellectual, social, emotional and moral For example, young children who have limited
development is established. Furthermore, adult language stimulation and opportunities
numerous research studies show this foundation to explore may not fully develop the neural
is determined by the nature of the young child’s pathways that support learning.
environments and experiences that shape early What parents do and how they treat children is
brain development. often a reflection of the way they were parented.
Developing brains need proper nutrition, Acquiring new knowledge about parenting and
regularly scheduled periods of sleep, physical child development enables parents to critically
activity and a variety of stimulating experiences. evaluate the impact of their experiences on their
Developing brains also need attuned, own development and their current parenting
emotionally available parents and other primary practices, and to consider that there may be
caregivers who recognize and consistently more effective ways of guiding and responding
respond to the needs of young children, and to their children. Furthermore, understanding
interact with them in an affectionate, sensitive the mounting evidence about the nature and
and nurturing manner. Such care gives rise to the importance of early brain development enables
development of a secure attachment between both parents and those who work with children
the child and the adult. Young children with to know what young children need most in
secure attachments develop a sense of trust, feel order to thrive: nurturing, responsive, reliable
safe, gain self-confidence and are able to explore and trusting relationships; regular, predictable
their environments because they feel they have a and consistent routines; interactive language
secure base. experiences; a physically and emotionally safe
environment; and opportunities to explore and

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to learn by doing.

OF 5
 CSSP’S PROTECTIVE AND
PROMOTIVE FACTORS

The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) works to create new ideas and promote
public policies that produce equal opportunities and better futures for all children and
families, especially those most often left behind. The foundation of all of CSSP’s work is a
child, family and community well-being framework that includes a focus on protective and
promotive factors. Using an ecological perspective:
• protective factors are conditions or attributes of individuals, families, communities or
the larger society that mitigate or eliminate risk
• promotive factors are conditions or attributes of individuals, families, communities or
the larger society that actively enhance well-being

Taken together, protective and promotive factors increase the probability of

positive, adaptive and healthy outcomes, even in the face of risk and adversity.

The Strengthening Families™ and Youth Thrive™ frameworks exemplify CSSP’s

commitment to identify, communicate and apply research-informed ideas that contribute
to the healthy development and well-being of children, youth and families. As numerous
studies affirm the importance of early childhood experiences in influencing adolescent and
adult behavior, these frameworks provide a view of two interrelated phases of the lifespan
developmental continuum: Strengthening Families focuses on families of young children
(0-5 years old) and Youth Thrive on youth ages 11-26.

The Strengthening Families The Youth Thrive Protective and

Protective Factors Promotive Factors
• Parental Resilience • Youth Resilience
• Social Connections • Social Connections
• Knowledge of Parenting and • Knowledge of Adolescent
Child Development Development
• Concrete Support in Times of • Concrete Support in Times of
Need Need
• Social-Emotional Competence • Cognitive and Social-Emotional
of Children Competence in Youth

Parents, system administrators, program developers, service providers and policymakers

can each benefit from learning about and using the Strengthening Families and Youth
CSSP.ORG
Thrive frameworks in their efforts to ensure that children, youth and families are on a path
STRENGTHENINGFAMILIES.NET that leads to healthy development and well-being.