Developmental

Assets

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 Developmental Assets® for Adolescents (Ages 12 – 18)
Search Institute® has identified the following building blocks of healthy development—known as
Developmental Assets®—that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.

EXTERNAL ASSETS
SUPPORT

1. Family support—Family life provides high levels of love and support.

2. Positive family communication—Young people and their parenting adults communicate positively, and
young people are willing to seek parenting adults’ advice and counsel.
3. Other adult relationships—Young people receive support from three or more nonparent adults.
4. Caring neighborhood—Young people experience caring neighbors.
5. Caring school climate—Schools provide a caring, encouraging environment.
6. Family-school partnerships—Families and schools work together to ensure that young people are suc-
cessful in learning.

EMPOWERMENT

7. Community values youth—Young people perceive that adults in the community value youth.
8. Youth as resources—Young people have useful roles in the community.
9. Service to others—Young people serve in the community one hour or more per week.
10. Safety—Young people feel safe at home, school, and in the neighborhood.

BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS

11. Family boundaries—Families have clear rules and consequences, and monitor young people’s where-
abouts.
12. School boundaries—Schools provide clear rules and consequences.
13. Neighborhood boundaries—Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring young people’s behavior.
14. Adult role models—Parenting adults and other adults model positive, responsible behavior.
15. Positive peer influence—Young people’s best friends model responsible behavior.
16. High expectations—Parenting adults and teachers encourage young people to do well.

CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME

17. Creative activities—Young people spend three or more hours per week in lessons or practice in music,
theater, or other arts.
18. Youth programs—Young people spend three or more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at
school and/or in community organizations.
19. Religious or spiritual community—Young people participate in activities or programs with positive peers
and adults in a religious or spiritual organization one or more hours per week.
20. Time at home—Young people are out with friends “with nothing special to do,” two or fewer nights per
week.

INTERNAL ASSETS
COMMITMENT TO LEARNING

21. Achievement motivation—Young people are motivated to do well in school.

22. School engagement—Young people are actively engaged in learning.
23. Homework—Young people report doing at least one hour of homework every school day.
24. Bonding to school—Young people care about their school.

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25. Reading for pleasure—Young people read for pleasure three or more hours per week.

POSITIVE VALUES

26. Caring—Young people place high value on helping other people.

27. Equality and social justice—Young people place high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger
and poverty.
28. Integrity—Young people act on convictions and stand up for their beliefs.
29. Honesty—Young people “tell the truth even when it’s not easy.”
30. Responsibility—Young people accept and take personal responsibility.
31. Restraint—Young people believe it is important not to be sexually active or to use alcohol or other
drugs.

SOCIAL COMPETENCIES

32. Planning and decision-making—Young people know how to plan ahead and make choices.
33. Interpersonal competence—Young people have empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.
34. Cultural competence—Young people know and are comfortable with people of different cultural, racial,
ethnic, and other backgrounds than their own.
35. Resistance skills—Young people can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations.
36. Peaceful conflict resolution—Young people seek to resolve conflict nonviolently.

POSITIVE IDENTITY

37. Personal power—Young people feel they have control over things that happen to them.
38. Self-esteem—Young people report having a high self-esteem.
39. Sense of purpose—Young people report that their life has a purpose.
40. Positive view of personal future—Young people are optimistic about their personal future.

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searchinstitute.org. Search Institute® and Developmental Assets® are registered trademarks of Search Institute.
 Developmental Assets® for Middle Childhood (ages 8-12)
Search Institute® has identified the following building blocks of healthy development—known as
Developmental Assets®—that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.

EXTERNAL ASSETS
SUPPORT

1. Family support—Family life provides high levels of love and support.

2. Positive family communication—Parenting adults and children communicate positively. Children feel
comfortable seeking advice from family members.
3. Other adult relationships—Children receive support from adults beyond their immediate family.
4. Caring neighborhood—Children experience caring neighbors.
5. Caring school climate—Relationships with teachers and peers provide a caring, encouraging environ-
ment.
6. Family-school partnerships—Families and schools work together to ensure that children are successful
in learning.

EMPOWERMENT

7. Community values children—Children feel valued and appreciated by adults in the community.
8. Children as resources—Children are included in decisions at home and in the community.
9. Service to others—Children have opportunities to help others in the community.
10. Safety—Children feel safe at home, at school, and in their neighborhoods.

BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS

11. Family boundaries—Families have fair, clear, and consistent rules and consequences, and they monitor
their children’s whereabouts.
12. School boundaries—School has clear rules and consequences.
13. Neighborhood boundaries—Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring children’s safety and behavior.
14. Adult role models—Family members and other adults model positive, responsible behavior.
15. Positive peer influence—Children’s closest friends model positive, responsible behavior.
16. High expectations—Parenting adults and teachers expect children to do their best at school and in oth-
er activities.

CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME

17. Creative activities—Children participates in music, art, drama, or creative writing two or more times per
week.
18. Child programs—Children participate two or more times per week in co-curricular school activities or
structured community programs.
19. Religious or spiritual community—Children participate in activities or programs with positive peers and
adults in a religious or spiritual organization one or more times per week.
20. Time at home—Children spend time most days interacting with adult family members and doing activi-
ties at home other than screen time.

INTERNAL ASSETS
COMMITMENT TO LEARNING

21. Achievement motivation—Children are motivated and strive to do well in school.

22. Learning engagement—Children are responsive and attentive in learning at school and outside of school.

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23. Homework—Children usually turn in assignments on time.
24. Bonding to school—Children care about teachers and other adults at school.
25. Reading for pleasure—Children enjoy and spend time reading for fun most days of the week.

POSITIVE VALUES

26. Caring—Parenting adults tell children it is important to help other people.

27. Equality and social justice—Parenting adults tell children it is important to speak up for other people’s
rights.
28. Integrity—Parenting adults tell children it is important to stand up for your core beliefs.
29. Honesty—Parenting adults tell children it is important to tell the truth.
30. Responsibility—Parenting adults tell children it is important to accept personal responsibility for what
they do.
31. Healthy lifestyle—Parenting adults tell children it is important to have good health habits and an under-
standing of healthy sexuality.

SOCIAL COMPETENCIES

32. Planning and decision making—Children think about their decisions and are usually happy with results.
33. Interpersonal competence—Children care about and are affected by other people’s feelings and enjoy
making friends.
34. Cultural competence—Children know and are comfortable with people of different racial, ethnic, cultur-
al backgrounds than their own.
35. Resistance skills—Children can stay away from people who are likely to get them in trouble and can say
no to doing wrong or dangerous things.
36. Peaceful conflict resolution—Children seek to resolve conflict nonviolently.

POSITIVE IDENTITY

37. Personal power—Children feel they have some influence over what happens in their lives.
38. Self-esteem—Children like and are proud to be the person they are.
39. Sense of purpose—Children sometimes think about what life means and whether there is a purpose for
their life.
40. Positive view of personal future—Children are optimistic about their personal future.

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searchinstitute.org. Search Institute® and Developmental Assets® are registered trademarks of Search Institute.
 Developmental Assets® for Children Grades K–3 (ages 5-9)
Search Institute® has identified the following building blocks of healthy development—known as
Developmental Assets®—that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.

EXTERNAL ASSETS
SUPPORT

1. Family support—Family life provides high levels of love and support.

2. Positive family communication—Parenting adults and children communicate openly, respectfully, and
frequently, with children receiving praise for their efforts and accomplishments.
3. Other adult relationships—Children receive support from adults beyond their families, with children
sometimes forming ongoing relationships with a nonparent adult.
4. Caring neighborhood—Families and children experience friendly neighbors who affrm and support chil-
dren’s growth and sense of belonging.
5. Caring school climate—Children experience warm, welcoming relationships with teachers, peers, and
others at school.
6. Family-school partnerships—Families and schools work together to ensure that children are successful
in learning.

EMPOWERMENT

7. Community values children—Children are welcomed and included throughout community life.
8. Children as resources—Children contribute to family decisions and have opportunities to participate in
positive community events.
9. Service to others—Children have opportunities to serve in the community with adult support and ap-
proval.
10. Safety—Parenting adults and community adults ensure the child’s safety while keeping in mind their
increasing independence.

BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS

11. Family boundaries—Families have reasonable guidelines for children’s behavior and always know where
the child is.
12. School boundaries—Schools have clear, consistent, and fair rules, and they use positive approaches to
discipline.
13. Neighborhood boundaries—Neighbors and friends’ families help monitor children’s behaviors and give
feedback to their families.
14. Adult role models—Parenting adults and others model positive, responsible behavior and encourage
children to follow these examples.
15. Positive peer influence—Parenting adults monitor their children’s friends and encourage children to
spend time with those who set good examples.
16. High expectations—Parenting adults, teachers, and other influential adults encourage children to do
their best in all tasks and to celebrate their successes.

CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME

17. Creative activities—Children participate weekly in music, dance, or other creative activities and play
outside of school.
18. Child programs—Children participate weekly in at least one sport, club, or organization in the school or
community.
19. Religious or spiritual community— Children participate in activities or programs with positive peers and
adults in a religious or spiritual organization one or more times per week.
20. Time at home—Children spend time at home playing and doing positive activities with their families.

This page may be reproduced for educational, noncommercial uses only. Copyright © 2006. Search Institute.
searchinstitute.org. Search Institute® and Developmental Assets® are registered trademarks of Search Institute.
 INTERNAL ASSETS
COMMITMENT TO LEARNING

21. Achievement expectation and motivation—Children are motivated to do well in school and other activi-
ties.
22. Children are engaged in learning—Children are responsive, attentive, and actively engaged in learning.
23. Stimulating activity and homework—Parenting adults and teachers encourage children to explore and
engage in stimulating activities. Children do homework when it’s assigned.
24. Enjoyment of learning and bonding to school—Children enjoy learning and care about their schools.
25. Reading for pleasure—Children and adults read together for at least 30 minutes a day. Children also en-
joy reading or looking at books or magazines on their own.

POSITIVE VALUES

26. Caring—Children are encouraged to help other people.

27. Equality and social justice—Children begin to show interest in making the community a better place.
28. Integrity—Children begin to act on their convictions and stand up for their beliefs.
29. Honesty—Children begin to value honesty and act accordingly.
30. Responsibility—Children begin to accept and take personal responsibility for age-appropriate tasks.
31. Healthy lifestyle and sexual attitudes—Children begin to value good health habits and learn healthy sex-
ual attitudes.

SOCIAL COMPETENCIES

32. Planning and decision making—Children begin to learn how to plan ahead and make choices at appro-
priate developmental levels.
33. Interpersonal skills—Children interact with adults and make friends. They articulate their feelings and
empathize with others.
34. Cultural competence—Children know about and are comfortable with people of different cultural, racial,
ethnic, or other backgrounds that are different from their own.
35. Resistance skills—Children start developing the ability to resist negative peer pressure and dangerous
situations.
36. Peaceful conflict resolution—Children try to resolve conflicts nonviolently.

POSITIVE IDENTITY

37. Personal power—Children begin to feel they have control over things that happen to them.
38. Self-esteem—Children report having high self-esteem.
39. Sense of purpose—Children report that their lives have purpose and actively engage themselves in that
focus.
40. Positive view of personal future—Children are hopeful and positive about their personal future.

This page may be reproduced for educational, noncommercial uses only. Copyright © 2006. Search Institute.
searchinstitute.org. Search Institute® and Developmental Assets® are registered trademarks of Search Institute.
 Developmental Assets® for Early Childhood (ages 3 to 5)
Search Institute® has identified the following building blocks of healthy development—known as
Developmental Assets®—that help young children grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.

EXTERNAL ASSETS
SUPPORT

1. Family support—Parenting adults provide children with high levels of consistent and predictable love,
physical care, and positive attention in ways that are responsive to the child’s individuality.
2. Positive family communication—Parenting adults express themselves positively and respectfully, engag-
ing young children in conversations that invite their input.
3. Other adult relationships—With the family’s support, the children experience consistent, caring relation-
ships with adults outside the family.
4. Caring neighbors—Children’s networks of relationships include neighbors who provide emotional support
and a sense of belonging.
5. Caring climate in child-care and educational settings—Caregivers and teachers create environments that
are nurturing, accepting, encouraging, and secure.
6. Family partnerships with education and childcare—Families, schools, and childcare work together to
create a consistent and supportive approach to fostering the child’s successful growth.

EMPOWERMENT

7. Community values young children—Children are welcomed and included throughout community life.
8. Children are seen as resources—Communities demonstrate that children are valuable resources by in-
vesting in systems of family support and resources to meet children’s physical, social, educational, and
emotional needs.
9. Service to others—Children have opportunities to take simple but meaningful and caring actions for
others.
10. Safety—Parenting adults, teachers, neighbors, and the community take action to ensure children’s
health and safety.

BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS

11. Family boundaries—Families provide consistent supervision for children and maintain reasonable guide-
lines for behavior that children can understand and achieve.
12. Boundaries in childcare and educational settings—Caregivers and educators use positive approaches to
encourage self-regulation and acceptable behaviors.
13. Neighborhood boundaries—Neighbors encourage children to act appropriately and to avoid negative ac-
tivities. When needed, neighbors intervene in constructive, nonthreatening ways.
14. Adult role models—Parenting adults and others model self-control, social skills, engagement in learning,
and healthy lifestyles.
15. Positive peer relationships—Family members give children opportunities to interact positively with other
children.
16. Positive expectations—Family members, teachers, and others encourage and support children in acting
appropriately, undertaking challenging tasks, and doing activities to the best of their abilities.

CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME

17. Play and creative activities—Children have daily opportunities to play and do creative, artistic activities
that encourage self-expression, physical activity, and interaction with peers and adults.
18. Out-of-home and community programs—Children experience well-designed programs led by competent,
caring adults in well-maintained settings.

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searchinstitute.org. Search Institute® and Developmental Assets® are registered trademarks of Search Institute.
19. Religious or spiritual community— Children participate in age-appropriate activities or programs with
positive peers and adults in a religious or spiritual organization one or more times per week.
20. Time at home—Children spend most of their time at home participating in family activities and play, with
parenting adults guiding and limiting screen time.

INTERNAL ASSETS
COMMITMENT TO LEARNING

21. Motivation to mastery—Children respond to new experiences with curiosity and energy, resulting in the
pleasure of developing new learning and skills.
22. Engagement in learning experiences—Children fully participate in a variety of learning activities.
23. Home-program connections—Children experience security, consistency, and connections between home
and out-of-home care programs and learning activities.
24. Bonding to programs—Children form meaningful connections with out-of-home care and education pro-
grams.
25. Early literacy—Children enjoy adults reading to them, looking at and handling books, playing different
media, and exploring pictures, letters, and numbers.

POSITIVE VALUES

26. Caring—Children begin to show empathy, understanding, and awareness of others’ feelings.
27. Equality and social justice—Children begin to show concern for people who are excluded from play and
other activities or are not treated fairly because they are different.
28. Integrity—Children begins to express their views appropriately and to stand up for a growing sense of
what is fair.
29. Honesty—Children begins to understand the difference between truth and lies, and are truthful to the
extent of their understanding.
30. Responsibility—Children begin to follow through on simple tasks to take care of themselves and to help
others.
31. Self-regulation—Children increasingly can identify and manage their behaviors in healthy ways, using
adult support in particularly stressful situations.

SOCIAL COMPETENCIES

32. Planning and decision making—Children begin to plan for the immediate future, choosing from among
several options and trying to solve problems.
33. Interpersonal skills—Children cooperate, share, play harmoniously, and comfort others in distress.
34. Cultural awareness and sensitivity—Children begin to learn about their own cultural identity and to
show acceptance of people who are racially, physically, culturally, ethnically or otherwise different from
them.
35. Resistance skills—Children begin to sense danger accurately and to seek help from trusted adults.
36. Peaceful conflict resolution—Children begins to compromise and resolve conflicts without being physi-
cally aggressive or using hurtful language.

POSITIVE IDENTITY

37. Personal power—Children make choices that give them a sense of having some influence over things
that happen in their lives.
38. Self-esteem—Children like themselves and have a growing sense of being valued by others.
39. Sense of purpose—Children look forward to new opportunities, experiences, and milestones as they
grow up.
40. Positive view of personal future—Children find the world interesting and enjoyable, and they feel that
they have a positive place in it.

This page may be reproduced for educational, noncommercial uses only. Copyright © 2006. Search Institute.
searchinstitute.org. Search Institute® and Developmental Assets® are registered trademarks of Search Institute.