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Positive youth, families and communities

Communities and families can build positive relationships and environments for children and youth to help them grow into healthy and productive citizens.

Promote safe, stable, nurturing families and communities by building:

  • Parental resilience. (Child Welfare Gateway website)
    • Parents who can cope with the stresses of everyday life, as well as an occasional crisis, have resilience; they have the flexibility and inner strength necessary to bounce back when things aren't going well.
  • Social connections. (Child Welfare Gateway website)
    • Parents with a social network of emotionally supportive friends, family, and neighbors often find it easier to care for their children and themselves.
  • Support systems. (Child Welfare Gateway website)
    • Such systems can take many different forms depending on the strengths and needs of the family, but their overarching goal is to help parents enhance skills and resolve problems to promote optimal child development.
  • Knowledge of parenting and child development.
  • Accurate information about child development and appropriate expectations for children’s behavior at every age help parents see their children and youth in a positive light and promote their healthy development
  • Social and emotional competence of children.
  • Parents support healthy social and emotional development in children when they model how to express and communicate emotions effectively, self-regulate, and make friends.

Visit the Center for the Study of Social Policy webpage for more information on the Strengthening Families Protective Factor framework.

Visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway for more information on ways to support families and prevent child abuse and neglect.

Children and youth are more likely to avoid negative life experiences when they grow up with positive relationships and environments. Negative life experiences can contribute to the cycle of continuing child abuse and neglect, violence, and increase the risk for substance abuse, suicide, and other risky behaviors.

Children with adverse life experiences don't always go on to become violent, abuse drugs, or become suicidal, but the experiences do put them at higher risk. Negative childhood experiences include but are not limited to the following:

  • Child abuse or neglect.
  • Substance abuse in the household.
  • Parents were treated violently.
  • Household mental illness.
  • Parental separation/divorce.
  • Incarcerated parent.
  • Loss of a parent.

Colorado Fatherhood Program
Identifying and Engaging Fathers
Colorado Office of Early Childhood

Report suspected child abuse and neglect online or call 1-844-CO-4-KIDS (1-844-264-5437).

Reporte sospechas de abuso y negligencia infantil en línea o llame al 1-844-CO-4-KIDS (1-844-264-5437).