where every child is heard

Child-centeredness is a developmentally grounded, relationship-driven approach that centers children’s perspectives and strengths while engaging them in supported, age-appropriate collaboration. Child-centeredness is the foundational principle of CVP’s research, programs, and vision for the future.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic events, such as abuse, neglect, violence, or family instability, that can disrupt children’s development and long-term health. While childhood adversity can have serious and compounding impacts, supportive, child-centered relationships can act as a buffer against that harm, helping children develop resilience in the face of these challenges.

Protective factors are the skills, relationships, and supports that help children navigate adversity, cope with stress, and build resilience, fostering healthy development even in challenging or high-conflict environments. Child-centered practices play a critical role in fostering protective factors by giving children developmentally appropriate opportunities to be heard, to build skills, and to make sense of their experiences.

Children have the right to be heard and to have their views taken seriously in decisions that affect their lives. Child’s Voice Project’s work is grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly Article 12, which affirms children’s right to freely express their views and for those views to be given due weight. Respecting a child’s rights means recognizing them as credible narrators of their own experiences, and engaging them in ways that honor their dignity, agency, and humanity.