Assets in Early Childhood

Developmental Assets for 3- to 5-Year Olds

Search Institute’s Early Childhood Developmental Assets Framework (ECDAF) combines knowledge of what fosters holistic early childhood development with a practical approach that offers specific guidance to practitioners, parents, family members, neighbors, community workers, officials, and policy makers—all of whom are concerned with ensuring that all young children get a good start in life, make a smooth transition to school, and attain success as they grow older.

When the early childhood framework is linked to the recently formulated Developmental Assets framework for middle childhood and the well-established youth Developmental Assets framework, a powerful, practical, and unified approach to the healthy growth and well-being of young people across the first two decades of life is available.

The Early Childhood Developmental Assets Framework

Practical Tools for Building Assets in Early Childhood