All Children Are All Our Children explores steps we can take in classrooms, schools, neighborhoods and communities to support the health of the children and of the families that send their children to our schools.

This book chronicles the journey of school turnaround. Focused on the delicate balance between academic press and personalization, the story of Pearl-Cohn High School, in Nashville, Tennessee, reflects what is possible in a school characterized by the intersection of rigorous learning, and an authentic culture of care and belonging. More, this is a story of how race and economic disadvantage intersect with education in America. This is a story of moments and movements.

The measure of a society's health is how well it takes care of the youngest generation. By this standard, we fail. But All Kids Are Our Kids offers an approach to unleash the extraordinary power of community when people unite around a widely shared vision of healthy child and adolescent development. All Kids Are Our Kids introduces forty Developmental Assets—building blocks of healthy development that are essential for all youth, regardless of their background. The challenge for all segments of the community—families, neighbors, schools, congregations, employers, youth organizations, and more—is to share in the responsibility for taking action to ensure that all kids have what they need to grow up healthy, successful, and caring. This new edition includes new evidence, cites successful cases, and makes recommendations for energizing individuals, families, and community action. Praise for All Kids Are Our Kids "A practical, concrete blueprint for helping young people succeed because of supportive communities." —Donald T. Floyd, Jr., president and CEO, National 4-H Council "For two decades, Peter Benson has been America's most eloquent and persuasive voice for a new, positive approach to enhancing the lives of our nation's youth. If policy makers, practitioners, and researchers read only one book about how to act in support of our nation's youth, then this is it!" —Richard M. Lerner, Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science and director, Institute forApplied Research in Youth Development, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, Tufts University "Peter Benson continues to remind us of how far short of the mark we have fallen in meeting the needs of our youngest generation. But then he provides a gift: a unifying vision that we can all rally around: parents, neighbors, youth-serving organizations, and ultimately whole communities committed to the healthy development of all our kids." —Judy Vredenburgh, president and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America "Benson's approach is the best formula we have for building communities to meet the developmental needs of young people. Anyone who is concerned about the future of our society should read this book." —William Damon, professor of education, Stanford University, and director, Stanford Center on Adolescence

2000 CBC/NCSS Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies Norma Simon uses both the neighborhood and the international stage to celebrate children. Each carefully chosen example and comparison will help to forge a connection to friends and neighbors, other cultures, and faraway lands. As children enjoy this book, the world will grow a little smaller while understanding and acceptance will grow larger.

The Nurtured Heart Approach was originally designed to help families help their difficult children better adapt to school and family life. During years of using this approach with these children, however, I discovered that it works beautifully to foster inner strength, higher achievement, happiness, security and exemplary conduct in every child. It is not just another positive approach to parenting designed to improve behavior. Rather, it's an approach to greatness, a method of recognizing and appreciating the gifts each child possesses. Parents who had been desperate to find something that worked and adopted the Nurtured Heart Approach with their difficult child typically also used the approach with their other children, because it is just easier that way. They would then report similar, extraordinary results: they described their other children as flourishing beyond anything they had ever seen or experienced before. This approach gives parents enormous power to help every child navigate an ever more complex world with confidence and an inner compass of greatness. Children now more than ever need a real inheritance, not monetary wealth, but inner wealth. We can no longer just occasionally urge our children to feel self-worth, to make better choices and to have a better attitude. A more proactive approach is needed. We have to give them irrefutable evidence, in real time, that they are successful ... right here and right now!

Inspired by all the wonderful professional teachers who worked tirelessly in creating inspirational learning environments in our schools for the thousands of Copycats, Stickybeaks and Scallywags who enjoyed learning with them so much. I enjoyed learning with them too. As so often was said, “It was more fun than the pictures.” and we all agreed.

Why does the city of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy feature one of the best public systems of early education in the world? This book documents the comprehensive and innovative approach that utilizes the "hundred languages of children" to support their well-being and foster their intellectual development. Educators in Reggio Emilia, Italy, use a distinctive innovative approach that supports children's well-being and fosters their intellectual development through a systematic focus on symbolic representation. From birth through age six, young children are encouraged to explore their environment and express their understanding through many modes of expression or "languages," including verbal communication, movement, drawing, painting, sculpture, shadow play, collage, and music. This organic strategy has been shown to be highly effective, as the children in Reggio Emilia display surprising examples of symbolic skill and creativity. This book describes how the world-renowned preschool services and accompanying practical strategies for children under six in Reggio Emilia have evolved in response to the community's demographic and political transformations, and to generational changes in both the educators and the parents of the children. The authors provide the reader with a comprehensive introduction to the Reggio Emilia experience, and address three of the most important central themes of the work in Reggio in detail: teaching and learning through relationships; the hundred languages of children, and how this concept has evolved; and integrating documentation into the process of observing, reflecting, and communicating.

"Fanning wisdom's flame within the heart of the reader.... This book will shed light on the spirituality of generations past as well as the light that is being called forth for future generations." She was not sleeping well. Dreams, headaches followed, the nightmares started, Night terrors which were terrifying for the both of us... then the loss of weight; I took her to a Dr. he suggested medication, which did not help. The nightmares became worse. Every night she went to bed, she would dream...she would wake up screaming, terrified every night for several weeks. Imagine a child any child going through this. I was beside myself not knowing what to do. Her headaches were getting worse, and her weight loss was worrying me. I did the only thing I knew to do; I prayed to God to help us. I was scared for my daughter, and I did not know how to stop this. I also did the second thing I knew to do; I took her to the doctor again. I told him about her nightmares, and he looked at me like I was a crazy person and asked me what I thought those nightmares were going to do to her, harm her? I said yes they already were. I was afraid for my daughter; I was afraid the nightmares were going to destroy her. He laughed. I lost all control. I could not help her, so I was putting her in someone else's hand who is supposed to help her, someone who is supposed to be a healer. He was more concerned with her weight loss and headaches and put her in the hospital for further testing. I met a mother whose daughter shared the room with my daughter. They asked me questions about my daughter, about her dreams, so I proceeded to tell them the story. The daughter kept looking at her mother, then asked her if she should tell me, only to hear her mother reply no. The mother asked me what I thought would happen if my daughter opened the door? I did not hesitate. I knew if my daughter opened the door to the man in black my daughter would die.... This broke my heart because I felt so alone with all of this, and I had no way to prevent it. How could I help my daughter? I had prayed and asked God to help me, and I knew he was the only one who could help me for this was way out of my league. The young women looked at her mother and said mom we have to tell her. Finally, I yelled, tell me what? If you have something to tell me that will help my child, PLEASE TELL ME! I was desperate and somewhere inside I knew my answer was sitting right here before my very eyes.... Find out how Kathy helped her daughter and many others with her gifts from Spirit.