Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences Find HOPE at PositiveExperience.
org
The Four Building Blocks of HOPE
Research shows that positive childhood experiences (PCEs) help children grow into healthy,
resilient adults. The HOPE framework centers around the Four Building Blocks of HOPE, key
types of PCEs that all children need to thrive.
Relationships
Safe and supportive relationships within the family and with other
children and adults
Being in nurturing, supportive relationships are critical for children to
develop into healthy, resilient adults. Individuals that recall having
these types of relationships during childhood experience
significantly lower rates of depression and poor mental health
during adulthood.
What kinds of relationships are we talking about?
Foundational relationships with parents who respond to a child's needs and offer warm,
responsive reactions.
Adults outside of the family who take a genuine interest in a child and support their
growth and development.
Healthy, close, and positive relationships with peers.
How can you promote access to safe and supportive relationships?
Be a supportive relationship! Take the time to connect with the children around you.
Share information about after-school activities where they might connect with coaches,
mentors, or peers.
Ask parents about the positive experiences they remember from childhood and what
made those experiences good. Celebrate those with them and encourage them to think
about which of the components of those relationships they want to offer their children.
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Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences Find HOPE at [Link]
Share information about parent-child attachment, validate and reflect back when you see
The Four Building Blocks of HOPE
warm reactions between parent and child.
Ask about other positive adults in the child's life - coaches, teachers, pastors, mentors.
Celebrate those relationships and encourage consistent connection with those individuals.
Play and connect with your children regularly! Be silly, move your bodies together, read a
book, watch a movie. The options are endless!
Environments
Safe, stable, and equitable environments where children can
live, learn, and play.
Children who live, learn, and play in safe, stable, and equitable
environments are less likely to experience poor mental and physical
health as adults.
What do we mean by safe, stable, and equitable environments?
A safe, stable environment secure in meeting a child's basic needs, including adequate
food, shelter, and health care.
A nurturing home where a child is emotionally secure.
A stable school environment where children feel valued and receive high-quality
education.
A community environment to play and interact with other children safely and equitably.
How can you promote access to safe, stable, and equitable environments?
Make sure schools are safe spaces for all students! Address bullying and teasing, and
encourage students to be upstanders, not bystanders.
Make sure that children and families feel represented. Look at any books, posters, curricula,
or handouts. Are all kinds of families, all genders, all races, and people with disabilities
represented?
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Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences Find HOPE at [Link]
Engagement
Opportunities for social and civic engagement to develop
a sense of belonging and connectedness.
Children need to feel connected to their communities, loved, and
appreciated. Involvement in social institutions and environments,
awareness of cultural customs and traditions, and a sense that they
matter and belong helps them develop into secure and resilient
adults.
What are some examples of social and civic engagement?
Being involved in projects, peer mentoring, or community service through one's school
or religious organization.
Participating in family and cultural traditions.
Joining a music, art, or sports group.
How can you promote access to social and civic engagement?
Ask children about the activities they do outside of school, and delight with them in those
activities.
Work on creative projects and sharing their favorite activities with their friends.
Have fliers available for Community Centers, after-school activities, and mentoring
programs in your community.
Families can volunteer in the community together.
Create new after-school activities
Get involved in a place of worship, if that feels supportive. Many spiritual and religious
institutions have youth groups or classes for children and youth.
Emotional Growth
Opportunities for emotional growth where children feel
supported through difficult events and emotions.
Children need to have a lot of opportunities to develop their sense
of self-awareness and social cognition, learn how to self-regulate
emotions and behavior, and acquire skills needed to respond
functionally and productively to challenges. Many of these skills
arise during child-centered play.
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Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences Find HOPE at [Link]
Some children will pick up these skills naturally, but others may need adults to help them
name and understand their own feelings. Either way, these skills are critical for children to be
able to become resilient, emotionally healthy adults.
What do we mean by opportunities for social and emotional growth?
Developing a sense of emotional and behavioral self-regulation.
Having the ability to respond to challenges in a productive way.
Developing key social and culturally-appropriate communication and interpersonal skills.
How can you promote social and emotional growth?
Help children to name their feelings as they talk about them and what they feel like.
Remember that disagreements in peer groups are normal and show children how to
disagree respectively and productively.
Schools can implement social and emotional learning curriculum.
Make time for open play with friends and siblings that the children lead on their own.
Encourage social connection the same way you encourage eating healthy foods or
exercising.
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