At YMCA Project Cornerstone, we believe that every member of a school's staff plays a crucial role in fostering the developmental assets of children and youth. This includes teachers, administrators, counselors, yard supervisors, coaches, bus drivers, custodians, clerical support staff, and librarians. Building these assets is an intrinsic part of the educational journey for any adult in the school environment.
We provide comprehensive training and resources tailored to school staff, emphasizing daily opportunities to nurture these vital assets in students. For more information or to inquire about any of the following programs, please contact us at [email protected].
Introduction to Asset Building: This presentation introduces participants to the Search Institute’s Developmental Asset Framework and their research. It details the power of these assets in preventing risky behavior and promoting thriving behaviors, along with their impact on academic achievement and social/emotional health. Additionally, it showcases how Project Cornerstone integrates the developmental asset model into school culture.
2017 Developmental Assets Survey Results: This presentation offers stakeholders an in-depth look at their school's and district's latest results from the Search Institute’s MMW (Me & My World) survey and/or A&B (Attitudes & Behaviors) survey. The aim is to analyze the data to spark meaningful conversations and guide future actions.
Building Assets on the Playground: Unsupervised playground time at elementary schools often leads to negative behaviors among students. This training provides yard duty staff and parent volunteers with strategies to manage recess from an asset-building perspective, moving beyond the traditional "yard police" approach. It's designed for any adult responsible for supervising students during recess.
Parent Engagement Programs: This training provides an overview of the Project Cornerstone parent engagement programs, including ABC, Los Dichos, and Preschool. These programs involve parents reading children's literature and teaching a short lesson in the classroom each month. The training can be seamlessly integrated into regular staff meetings and is typically conducted by program coordinators.
Being UPstanders - Bullying Prevention: This presentation raises awareness about bullying, peer abuse, and cyberbullying in school settings. It shares techniques and tools to help reduce bullying behaviors and promote a "new normal" of acceptable behavior, guided by the Developmental Assets framework.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Asset Building: Designed specifically for teachers and school staff, this presentation explores the core competencies of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and their connection to the “Social Competencies” category of developmental assets. Despite being critical life skills, these assets often score the lowest. The presentation also highlights the latest adolescent brain research and its relevance to both SEL and asset development.