helping little kids succeed - alaskan style peek

Helping Little Kids Succeed

—Alaskan Style

Written by and for Alaskans

Based on Search Institute’s Youth Developmental Assets Framework

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Dedicated to the people of Alaska,those who were children here long agoand those who will be raising childrenhere seven generations from now.

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Idea contributors from:Akiachak Akutan AmblerAnchorage Angoon AniakBarrow Beaver BethelBettles Brevig Mission ChevakChistochina Chuathbaluk ChugiakClarks Point Copper River CordovaCraig Delta Junction DillinghamEagle Eagle River Elfin CoveElim Emmonak FairbanksFalse Pass Ft. Richardson Ft. YukonGakona Galena GambellGirdwood Glenallen GolovinGustavus Haines HealyHoly Cross Homer HoonahHooper Bay Houston HusliaHydaburg Iguigig JuneauKake Kasigluk KenaiKetchikan Kiana King SalmonKipnuk Klawock KlukwanKluti-Kaah Kodiak KoliganekKongiganak Kotlik KotzebueKoyuk Koyukuk KwethlukLittle Diomede Lower Kalskag ManakotakMcGrath Mekoryuk MetlakatlaMinto Mt. Village NaknekNanwalek Napaskiak NenanaNew Stuyahok Nikiski NoatakNome Nondalton NoorvikNorth Pole Northway NuiqsutOld Harbor Ouzinkie PalmerPetersburg Pilot Point Pilot StationPort Alsworth Port Graham Pt.HopePt. Lay Port Lions RampartRuby Russian Mission Sand PointSavoonga Saxman SelawikSeldovia Seward ShaktoolikShishmaref Sitka SkagwaySleetmute Soldotna St. Mary’sSt. Michael St. Paul StebbinsSutton Talkeetna TatitlekTeller Tenakee Springs TogiakTok Toksook Bay TuluksakTununak Unalakleet UnalaskaUpper Kalskag Valdez WalesWasilla White Mountain WhittierWillow Wrangell Yakutat

Table of ContentsThe Power of Five................................................1

“The Power of Five” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Who will use this book? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Divided no more. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Connecting with tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The Asset Approach to Building Strong Kids......13Resiliency research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

What about risk factors?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The asset story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

What are the assets? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Not a program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Assets and kids with special needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Youth as asset builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

“Kyeea”

Asset Building In Alaska ....................................33AASB’s Alaska ICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Asset building in different cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

“The Friendly Store Owner”

Building Assets Before Birth ...............................43Assets before birth? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

“A Special Afternoon”Ideas from Alaskans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Building Assets in Infants....................................49Three Alaskan infants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Assets for Infants Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

“The Twins”Ideas from Alaskans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Building Assets in Toddlers ................................67Three Alaskan toddlers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Assets for Toddlers Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

“Christmas Stockings”Ideas from Alaskans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

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Helping Little Kids Succeed – Alaskan Style

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Building Assets in Preschoolers .........................87Three Alaskan preschoolers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Assets for Preschoolers Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

“Time With Gram”SUPPORT Assets: Ideas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

“Betty’s Snowmen”EMPOWERMENT Assets: Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

“The Golden Egg”BOUNDARIES & EXPECTATIONS Assets: Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

“Andy”CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME Assets: Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

“Less is More”COMMITMENT TO LEARNING Assets: Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

“Jack’s BirthdayPOSITIVE VALUES Assets: Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

“Little Mike’s Big Feelings”SOCIAL SKILLS Assets: Idea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

“Dancing on Thursdays”POSITIVE IDENTITY Assets: Ideas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

“Jodie’s Masks”

Organizations and Businesses Building Assets ...161Questions to ask. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Where to start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Real-life examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

REFERENCE MATERIALS:An Asset-Building Toolkit....................................169

Building Assets in Children with Special Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Books for Young Children: Some Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Toys for Young Children: Some Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Games for Young Children and You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Checklist for Quality Childcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Asset-Building Materials for Adults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Assets for Children Ages 6-11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

The ABC’s of Building Assets in Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

”The Power of Five”When you are five years old, you start kindergarten.Music is written on a scale of five lines. There are fivestarters on a basketball team, five animal kingdoms, fivefingers on a helping hand, and five points on a star.Humans have five senses. We should eat five fruits andvegetables a day for better health.

And five is the key number of caring adults that everychild needs in his or her life. This is “The Power ofFive” that keeps showing up in research about whathelps children grow into successful adults.

Sure every child can name five adults they know, butwhat every child needs is for those adults to beconnected, committed, and genuinely concerned abouther well-being.

So, who are these five caring adults? They areparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, childcare providers,teachers, coaches, neighbors, employers, older siblings,religious leaders, friends’ parents—any adult. It is thecaring relationship with kids that matters.

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Helping Little Kids Succeed–Alaskan Style

The Power of Five

When we genuinely connect with children, from theearliest days of their lives, simple acts return bigrewards. Noticing them with a wink. Offering areassuring hug. Asking about their new shoes.Sharing a knock-knock joke. These are some waysyoung children come to know we are interested andcare about them.

As they grow, we find new ways to connect. “Hello,Angie.” “Nice game!” “How was your science test?” “Ilike your hair, Patrick. Who did it?” These are wayswe adults bridge the gap between youth and us. Whenwe make an effort to engage with young people, we helpto improve the attitudes youth and adults have abouteach other. The positive connections between youthand adults form a powerful foundation for the future.

Connections… A newborn infant comes into theworld with over 100 billion brain cells. Each brain cellis connected to thousands of other brain cells. Everyexperience this baby has—every sight, sound, touch,taste or smell—helps make more connections and“wire” the brain. This wiring sets the stage foreverything the child will do or respond to in life.

The positive connections we form with children work inthe same way. Every encouraging, caring, positiveinteraction we create with a child contributes to astrong web of support. The child’s collection of theseexperiences forms a network that will guide, protect,and inspire him through adulthood.

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The Power of Five

Who will use this book?Parents of all kinds, expectant parentsand family members…

When we use the term “parent” or “parents” throughoutthis book, we mean birth parents, adoptive parents, fosterparents, stepparents, grandparents, and/or extendedfamily – anyone who is raising a child.

You know your job is the most important job youwill ever have.

You want to create a happy family in which yourchild can grow.

You want to broaden the web of support aroundyour child.

There is no single right way to raise children, butthere are some research-based and common senseguidelines that can help. The key ideas and simpleactions described in this book have been proven towork. They have helped thousands of parents feel moreconfident, and they have helped thousands of childrengrow into successful adults.

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The AssetApproach toBuilding

Strong Kids

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Resiliency researchResiliency means being able to recover readily fromhardship, bounce back, and grow. A resilient personcopes with life’s stresses and becomes stronger as a result.

In the early 1950’s, Emmy Werner and a team ofresearchers went to the Hawaiian island of Kauai tolearn why some children there thrived, even in difficultsituations, while other children in the same situationsdid not do so well. They followed almost 700 childrenfor 40 years. They found that the kids who succeeded,even against the odds, had “protective factors” thathelped them cope with their tough situations. Theresearchers named this coping ability “resiliency.”

In other parts of the world, Norman Garmezy andMichael Rutter were also looking at resiliency. Theystudied children who were at risk for mental illness andchildren who grew up poor. They, too, foundconditions in place—protective factors—that helpedthese children to be resilient.

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For children, protectivefactors are like the self-righting tendencies of a heavykeel on a boat. No matterwhat the seas, calm orstormy, the boat keeps itsbalance because of its keel.

The Asset Approach to Building Strong Kids


Not a programThe asset approach is a practice. It is not a program,even though people build assets within effectiveprograms. The asset approach is a way of seeing kidsand giving them what they need. It’s a way to celebrateand build on what we offer our children. Based onwhat is right about families and kids, it encouragespeople to begin right away connecting with them.

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Here are some ways the asset approach isdifferent from programs:

It’s about relationships. A strong relationship betweenchildren and adults is the most basic ingredient forgrowing up healthy. Without solid relationships, ourefforts to guide children will probably have little effect.Asset building is about creating a set of involved, caringrelationships around each and every child.

All children need assets. Children with special needsdeserve special attention, but allchildren need people creatingsupports for them. All childrenneed people looking out for themand guiding them. A community-wide effort to help all kids growup well will benefit everyone.

Everyone has a role to play. Parents are a child’s firstand most important teachers. However, children alsospend time with many other people who influence them.Different people have different things to offer children.The combination is important.

The process is ongoing. Every stage of a child’sdevelopment is important. Each one builds onexperiences—good and bad—from the earlier stage. It’snever too early to build assets, and it’s never too late.How we build assets changes as a child grows, but hisneed for external supports and inner strengths is therethroughout his life.

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No single asset is the answer. The more assets achild has, the more likely that child will succeed. It’sthe total number of assets a child has that will helpin many areas of life. Strengthening any asset isgood, and the more assets we can strengthen in achild the better.

Small things count. Every child can experiencesupport in many ways each day. Simple everydayactions such as smiling, holding a hand, or acknowl-edging a child’s presence are important moments ofsupport. Like grains of sand, these small things collectand over time form a solid foundation for growth.

Repetition is good. Children need to hear and seeand experience positive messages often and from a lotof different people. For example, it’s important for achild’s parents to show love and support, but when thatchild gets the same message of support from others sheis more likely to feel supported in general.

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“This is so simple! All it is is 40words that describe love.”

– Elder in Kake

Building Assets in Preschoolers – COMMITMENT TO LEARNING

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Building COMMITMENT TO LEARNINGassets in preschoolers

Commitment to learning assets are about childrenlearning to love learning! They are about children’scuriosity and openness to learning new things and theirdeveloping the skills that go along with life-longlearning. They are also about children wanting to dowell in school. These are the commitment to learningassets: achievement expectation and motivation,children are engaged in learning, stimulating activityand homework, enjoyment of learning and bonding toschool, and reading for pleasure.

Ideas for family membersAlways speak positively about school andeducation, even if your own experience was notpositive. If you have concerns, only discuss themwhen your child isn’t around you. – Talkeetna

Ask your child, “What did you do in preschooltoday?” and then listen to them while they tell you.

– Yakutat

Check the newspaper for child-oriented eventshappening, and go to them with your child. – Anchorage

Give your child a lot of time to learn new skills,such as hanging up her coat or remembering tobring home her backpack. – Anchorage

Keep expanding the tasks and activities your childdoes as she is able, such as helping put up fish,cooking, sewing. Always challenge her abilities andencourage her efforts. – Juneau

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Have key phrases or learning mottos that yourepeat a lot around your children to reinforce anidea, such as, “Working hard is being smart!”

– Wasilla

Take books everywhere you go… in the car, on theairplane, to fish camp, the dentist’s office…everywhere you go have books. – Aniak

Set simple goals for a few things your child canwork on. Then monitor his progress and rewardhis success. Make the reward something you share,like marshmallows at a campfire, and don’t alwaysmake it something you buy. – Nome

Let children read to you, even if they are justpretending to read. – Golovin

Take an interest in your child’s schoolwork andhelp her with homework. Be confident! – Togiak

Take risks from time to time; try new things andshow your children it’s good always to be learningsomething new. – St. Mary’s

Read, read, read, read, read to children! – Kodiak


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Ideas for caregivers outside the homeDo a lot of nature activities and crafts withchildren, exchanging ideas and information withthem as you do. – Koyukuk

“Follow the child,” which means tune in to what thechild is interested in and find ways for them toexplore her interests and discover new ones. – Juneau

Bring Elders and others with history in to tell storiesabout the places in and around the community.

– Minto

Go on field trips: to the airport, the clinic ordentist’s office, the post office, the grocery store,or the beach. – Bethel

Hold a parent/child reading circle. – Shishmaref

Plan adequate time for learning activities, sochildren are not rushed. Repeat concepts and askthem questions about what they are learning.

– Kwethluk

Use a lot of different teaching methods; know thatchildren learn in different ways: watching, listening,doing, creating, copying, explaining, etc. – Palmer

Acknowledge excellent work and good studentbehavior. – Metlakatla

Have lots of “guests” come to talk about their workand how they got involved in it. – Juneau

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Ideas for the faith communityPlan learning activities that are interesting and funfor children of different age groups. – Eagle River

Recognize in a public way children’s learningaccomplishments in and outside the faith community.

– Wrangell

Involve teenagers in teaching young children.– North Pole

Open your facility to educational activitieshappening in the community: study halls, tutoring,special events, and classes. Help older children andadults be successful with their studies. – McGrath

Talk to children, youth, and adults about what theyare learning in school or at work. Show an interest.

– Anchorage

Reward children for attending school and doing thebest they can. – Talkeetna

“The best thing to spend on yourchildren is your time!”

– Anonymous


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Ideas for community membersAsk children what they want to be when they growup and show encouragement and enthusiasm fortheir choices. – Cordova

Always ask children about things they are learning:colors, animals, foods, numbers, and letters.Interact with them. – Craig

Support a community learning center for parents topursue their careers or interests. – Galena

Support the community or school library to havebooks for very young children and offer story time.

– Little Diomede

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Talk about school and education in a verypositive way. – Anchorage

Participate in and promote events like “Kill YourTV and Read Day” and “Read Across America.”

– Ketchikan

Volunteer at the library or anyplace where youngchildren spend time. Read to them or superviseolder children reading to younger children. – Palmer

Tutor an older youth who is struggling in school.This can be very powerful role modeling (both youand the youth) for younger children. – Ouzinkie

“Kids don’t care what you knowunless they know that you care.”

– John Goodlad


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Traditional waysGive your child things so he can copy what you do.For instance if you drum for Native dancing, giveyour child a little drum to use too. – Shishmaref

Children are taught to listen. “This is your time tolisten so that some day when you are asked toteach, you will have something to say.” – Angoon

Young children are shown in a positive manner theproper way to do something and later the adultwatches them do it. – Ambler

Children growing up with their culture andtraditions take pride in being who they are by alsoseeing the pride in their parents and othercommunity members. – Noatak

Tell children the stories of their culture. – Mekoryuk

Have Elders hold traditional ceremonies.– Pilot Station

Reference Materials:Your Asset Building

Toolkit

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The ABC’s of Building Assetsin Young ChildrenSimple ways to give babies and young children what they need.

Adjust to their routines.Allow mistakes.Be a good role model.Bring home all their rocks,sticks, etc.Color with them.Comment on ways theyare special.Display their art work.Dress up and pretend with them.Encourage them.Establish routines.Feed them healthy foods. Fill up with love as you watchthem sleep.Grant them choices.Give them undivided attention.Help them right away.Hold, hug, snuggle andcuddle them.Insist on helmets, lifejackets andseatbelts.Involve them in your tasks.Joke around together.Just smile at them.Keep their play areas safe.Kiss them good-night.Learn a rhythm game and play itwith them.

Listen to them.Make animal noises with them.Make time to look at pictureswith them.Nap with them.Notice their moods and respecttheir choices.Obey the rules around you.“Off” the TV.Play peek-a-boo and pat-a cake.Pray with them.Question them about theirinterests.Quiet them with gentleness.Read books together.Respond to their questions.Send a birthday card.Splash in a puddle.Talk about feelings.Tell them stories.Unzip and untie things.Use a calm voice for disciplining.Vaccinate them on time.Vote with children in mind.Wink at them.Write them love notes.eXercise together.Xylophone with them.You look into their eyes.You love them no matter what.Zealously sing with them.“Zerbert” their belly.

helping little kids succeed - alaskan style peek

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