Since the most important contributing factor to youth violence is the absence of a nurturing and supportive home environment, we know that youth can be steered away from crime. Exposure to violence in the home and the lack of a strong role model, however, will deny youth access to a moral education. Without a strong moral foundation, the lessons of hostility as a means of problem solving and an inability to equate actions with consequences will foster criminal behavior. Building strong relationships between children and their parents and communities is the best way to ensure their health and well-being. Parents and communities must take an active and positive role in the lives of children.
Parents are the best teachers a child can have.
There is no true substitute for the active involvement of the parent since nobody can be as personally invested in a child. These efforts are essential to identifying, educating, and mentoring at-risk youth who may lack an ideal support structure at home. To be truly successful, however, these efforts must be coordinated so that each aspect of the community is working to respond to each youth's unique needs. At-risk youth need access to childhood health programs and mental health services. Ensuring the physical and psychological health of all children has proven to be an effective way to increase educational aptitude and increase social skills.