CHARACTER COUNTS! strengthens
young lives through character
education. Studies repeatedly show
that it cuts misbehavior and improves
focus on school. It works.

But it’s not an add-on. It’s a framework,
employed by schools, communities,
businesses and other organizations
helping millions of youths develop the
Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. The national office supports this diverse coalition with:

• training courses for teachers,
  coaches, administrators and
  community leaders
• age-appropriate teaching tools
• assessments and surveys
• conferences and reports
• networking opportunities
• publications

Special Projects

Pursuing Victory With Honor
A sportsmanship campaign to equip coaches as character educators, with training seminars and extensive
support materials.

Honor Above All
An integrity promotion and cheating prevention campaign to assist teachers, administrators and parents in helping students make the character grade.

Foundations for Life
A national program to build students’ skills in critical thinking, writing and character.

CHARACTER COUNTS! works best when it
pervades a community, although there
is much an individual can do and remarkable results are possible in a single
school or organization.

How to Get Started

1. Attend a Character Development
Seminar (CDS). This is the country’s leading program for character-education specialists - and the key to your expanding community-wide initiatives.
These three-day train-the-trainer courses certify participants to prepare others to be effective character educators. A city or organization can contract for an on-site training, or individuals can attend an open-enrollment class. Also available: half- and full-day community awareness seminars, customized in-service training and advanced training for CDS graduates.

2. Join the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition. The CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition is open to schools, youth-service groups and other nonprofits, as well as municipalities and local businesses. Members make three commitments:

• To participate in and encourage community
involvement in awareness programs.
• To integrate character education into all
programs and encourage families to make
choices according to the Six Pillars
of Character.
• To share ideas for methods and materials that others might use.

A Powerful Membership

More than 3,500 schools along with
organizations of every size comprise
the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition.
Members include:

Alpha Xi Delta Women's Fraternity
American Assn. of Community Colleges
American Assn. of School Administrators
American Camping Association
American Federation of Teachers
American Red Cross
American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO)
Babe Ruth League
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Camp Fire USA
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America
Girls and Boys Town
International Assn. of Chiefs of Police
Jewish Community Center Assn. of North America
Little League Baseball
National 4-H
National Abstinence Clearinghouse
National Assn. of Catholic School Teachers
National Assn. for Family & Community Education
National Assn. of Police Athletic Leagues
National Assn. of Secondary School Principals
National Assn. of Student Councils
National Congress of State Games
National Council of Youth Sports
National Education Association
National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry
National Honor Society
National PTA
Points of Light Foundation
Primary Focus
Sigma Nu Fraternity
United States Army, Child & Youth Services
United States Youth Soccer Association
United Way of America
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
YMCA of the USA
Youth Volunteer Corps of America