What kids need to succeed

I think all of us would like to see our kids succeed and be the best they can be. That's why in this report CBS 11 News wants to tell you about a book that can help you connect with your child and a test you can take to help you get started. The book is called What Kids Need to Succeed. In it researchers surveyed more than 200,000 kids in 600 communities to come up with concrete ideas on how to help kids grow up to be their best.

They came up with a list of what they call developmental assets. Those are strengths that kids have to draw on. Internal assets are things like: putting a value on education; good friendship and decision making skills; and positive self esteem.

External assets would be things like having a positive peer group, lots of parental support and being involved in community activities. In all, researchers pinpointed 30 of these developmental assets and found the more kids have, the better they do. In fact, kids with 26 to 30 of the assets were five times less likely to use alcohol and 31 times less likely to fail in school than kids who had 10 assets or less.

So at this point, you may be wondering how many assets your own children possess. The book has a test you can take. It's a list of questions children and adults answer separately, then you sit down together and compare notes. It's a great way to start a conversation and make sure your

family is headed in a healthy direction.

For more information, click here.

What Kids Need to Succeed
Peter L. Benson, Ph.D., Judy Galbraith, M.A., and Pamela Espeland
ISBN 0-915793-78-4

To contact Lauren, call 907-273-3186