Five Key Promises Essential to the Well-Being of Children

Not all children are getting what they need to be successful in life

A recent study completed by the Search Institute and Child Trends, on behalf of the National Promises Study and America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth, indicates that millions of American young people ages 6 to 17 are not adequately experiencing the five Promises that they need to build their character and competence. The study is part of a broader report titled Every Child, Every Promise: A Report on Our Nation’s Young People.

The five Promises that form the foundation of this analysis were identified and defined by America’s Promise – Alliance for Youth in 1997. They represent commitments to be fulfilled to every child, including:

• Caring Adults – to be supported and guided by caring family, teachers and others
• Safe Places and Constructive Use of Time – to be physically and emotionally safe and have an appropriate balance of structured and unstructured time
• Healthy Start and Healthy Development – to have physical and emotional health and growth, and a means to sustain health
• Effective Education - to have access to adequate education and life-long training to gain effective life and marketable job skills
• Opportunities to make a Difference – to have outlets for engaging with the community and to have outlets for having an impact beyond oneself

Since the inception of the Promises model, America’s Youth has used it as the foundation for its research, educational and programmatic initiatives.

At LOGOS, we eagerly support this approach to understanding what kids need to be healthy and successful in life. However, we strongly feel that Spiritual Growth and the development of a disciple’s relationship with God through Jesus Christ are also critical to children (and to all of us for that matter)…and we would place this promise quite high on the list above. In fact, LOGOS’ approach to developing children calls for a whole-child focus in which the body, mind, and soul all receive an adequate level of nurture to produce the total result.

What promises are your congregation making to children…how does your children’s ministry deliver on those promises?

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