Although there is no universal approach to offering Child Development Accounts (CDAs), this paper introduces a framework for an age-based conceptual model that describes how such accounts might influence indicators of child well-being. With a focus on optimal age-appropriate development beginning at birth and ranging through young adulthood, the model incorporates research from multiple disciplines to include direct effects, indirect effects and critical milestones. We review empirical evidence from national datasets (primarily from the United States, but including research from other developed countries) to provide a context for this framework. This conceptual and empirical backdrop provides a starting point from which to critique key dimensions of CDA policy and consider potential implications of such an approach. Suggestions for future research are offered.
This paper was presented during Child Development Accounts: Research and Policy Symposium, a November 2008 conference, and was developed for publication in Child Development Accounts: Theory, Evidence, and Policy Potential, a special issue of Children and Youth Services Review. Released in November 2010, the special issue was edited by Michael Sharraden, Youngmi Kim, and Vernon Loke.
Subsequent publication: Williams Shanks, T. R., Kim, Y., Loke, V., & Destin M. (2010). Assets and child well-being in developed countries. Children & Youth Services Review, 32(11), 1488–1496. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.03.011
Project: SEED National Initiative