Key Points

Research shows that children’s relationships with others—extended family members, caregivers, teachers, coaches, and the broader community—shape who they become as adults.

If these relationships are positive and nurturing, then kids learn that the world is safe and secure and that they are loved.

At the Georgia Center for Opportunity, we believe that community is a powerful force in the journey of raising healthy, happy kids.

What happens in homes and communities has the greatest impact on the outcomes of each person’s life. After all, families and neighborhoods are the first places where people learn to love and trust one another, to live in community, and to sacrifice for others.

This dynamic is especially important for children in difficult situations, whether it be poverty and or other disadvantages. Children thrive when they have access to nurturing relationships and supportive environments, which help the development of important life skills.

When these supports are lacking, children may face additional challenges, including mental health struggles, difficulty finding employment, and economic hardship. By giving parents and communities tools to address these needs, we can shape better outcomes for all children.

According to the Search Institute, young people need positive relationships with three or more adults outside of their family to help them become healthy, responsible, caring adults themselves. 

According to the Search Institute, young people need positive relationships with three or more adults outside of their family to help them become healthy, responsible, caring adults themselves. 

Children’s lives are formed in community 

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” (Margaret J. Wheatley)

While parents are the first and best teachers for their kids, children’s lives are shaped by many different people, places, and experiences within their community.

GCO’s Raising Highly Capable Kids (RHCK) program gives communities a resource that’s designed to involve parents, caregivers, teachers, and broader communities equipping kids with skills and behaviors that will carry them into a successful future.

RHCK teaches these through a research-based framework known as the 40 Developmental Assets. The effect of these developmental assets is even more powerful when whole communities understand and engage with them.

What happens when a community embraces the building blocks of raising highly capable kids? 

Shared responsibility: Involving the community ensures that children’s development and education is shared among the most important influences in kids’ lives—parents, educators, coaches, caregivers, and local organizations.

Holistic support: Community involvement provides access to a range of resources and support systems that can serve the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive needs that are essential to raising highly capable kids.

Diverse perspectives: Communities are rich in diversity—with individuals from different cultural, socioeconomic, and professional backgrounds. Involving the community brings together diverse perspectives and experiences, enriching the educational process and ensuring that it’s inclusive and culturally relevant.

Stronger networks: Community involvement forms connections between parents, educators, and community leaders, creating networks that are valuable sources of information and encouragement for parents as they navigate the challenges and joys of raising their kids.

Access to resources: Communities have access to a wide range of resources like educational programs, recreational facilities, health services, and social support networks. Community involvement ensures that parents and caregivers have access to resources that enhance their ability to support their children’s development.

Positive norms and values: Communities play a crucial role in shaping the norms, values, and expectations that influence child development. By involving the community in educational initiatives focused on the 40 developmental assets, we can promote positive norms, values, and expectations that prioritize the well-being and success of children and families.

Supportive environments: Communities help create a supportive and stable environment where parents and caregivers feel empowered and encouraged in their role as primary influencers in their children’s lives. This support can boost parental confidence and resilience—enabling them to overcome challenges and advocate effectively for their children’s needs.

Sustainable impact: Communities foster a sense of ownership and investment in the well-being of children and families. By engaging the community in educational initiatives focused on the 40 developmental assets, we can invest in the well-being of children and families in a way that leads to long-term impact for current and future generations.

Our Raising Highly Capable Kids program is designed to bring parents and communities together to fostering a supportive environments and a common goal of nurturing capable and resilient kids.

Our Raising Highly Capable Kids program is designed to bring parents and communities together to fostering a supportive environments and a common goal of nurturing capable and resilient kids.

Highly capable communities lead to highly capable kids 

Our world is marked by constant change and uncertainty. And kids today are often pulled in directions that their parents and grandparents can barely fathom.

Communities coming together to prioritize family health and overall well-being of the parent-child relationship has never been more important in raising highly capable kids who will lead purpose-driven, meaningful lives.

The goal of RHCK is to empower anyone who works with kids and youth—including parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, church and business leaders—to pool collective resources, knowledge, and experiences. This type of collaboration creates a support network to raise the next generation to become valued, flourishing members of the community.

Whether it’s through RHCK or another opportunity, the reality on the ground remains the same: Children’s growth and development is shaped by those closest to them.

By reaching into homes, schools, and faith-based groups, we can ensure communities are nurturing places where families can thrive and future generations have good opportunities for enriching relationships, meaningful work, and better quality of life.