Project Cornerstone was founded in 1999 after a survey showed that most youth in Santa Clara County are missing the positive relationships, opportunities, values and skills—known collectively as “developmental assets” that provide the foundation for a healthy, successful future. The Search Institute has identified a framework of 41 developmental assets for elementary-age children that blends the research on assets for 12-18 year-olds with extensive research on child development. Studies show that the more developmental assets a young person possesses, the more likely she or he is to avoid risky behaviors and engage in positive, healthy activities.

According to Search Institute, young people need at least 31 of these developmental assets to ensure that they will thrive. Unfortunately, in Santa Clara County, only eight percent of middle and high school students and 38 percent of elementary school students have 31 or more assets and this number diminishes as children grow. For more information, go to www.projectcornerstone.org or www.search-institute.org.

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Shop Covington's Amazon store for Project Cornerstone books

We've created an Amazon store just for Project Cornerstone books. Click the link below or follow the "Shop Project Cornerstone" navigation on the left to see the full selection of book titles. Proceeds benefit Covington PTA. (Don't worry about entering a Covington affiliate code - it's already done for you!)

Shop Project Cornerstone at Amazon

Partnering with Project Cornerstone

Project Cornerstone’s School Partnerships program is specifically designed to raise developmental assets of students by empowering young people, parents and school staff to improve school climate and generate ways to keep children healthy and safe.  Two Project Cornerstone programs that Covington has adopted are Expect Respect and the Asset Building Champion (ABC) Reader Program.

About the Asset Building Champion (ABC) Reader Program

According to US News and World Report, more than 62% of American students are being bullied because of the way they look or the way they speak.  Once every 30 minutes a child will commit bullycide.  The goal of the ABC Reader program is to create a common language and vocabulary about student respect that can be shared amongst students and adults and parents and siblings in the home environment.  The program provides tools for students to deal with physical, verbal and relational bullying. 

The ABC Reader program is a school-wide K-6 initiative with 3 years of rotational curriculum. Covington is in the first year of this curriculum. Each month a book is introduced and read in the classroom along with a grade-appropriate lesson plan which might include an in-classroom activity and/or an extension activity to take home and share with family members. There are 8 books per year. Books are used to spark discussions on peer relationships that are not usually brought up in daily school conversations.  This program is district-wide and to-date 6 out of 7 schools have adopted it.

Readers are trained volunteers who become another trusted, consistently present adult in the classroom where students can share their struggles and feelings.  These reading lessons provide a time to introduce common language used across all grades such as filling someone’s bucket, giving warm fuzzies, learning how not to take the bait or how to be an UPstander. You can learn more about the monthly reading lessons by visiting the Monthly Book Summary blog.

Thank You to Our Volunteers

Thank you to the valuable volunteers who put their time and commitment into this program to become trusted adults for all Covington students. For more information, go to www.projectcornerstone.org or www.search-institute.org.