By Rudee Robertson | February 17, 2026
If you are an early childhood professional who barely has time to drink your coffee while it’s still hot, this one is for you: the Devereux Adult Resilience Survey (DARS) is like a checklist for those with no time for things like journaling, but who still want to care for their own resilience as much as they care for children’s.
A quick, no-guilt way to check in on yourself
The DARS is a 23-item reflective checklist that helps adults identify their personal strengths in just a few focused minutes. No long writing prompts, no “perfect” answers required. Authored by Mary Mackrain, M.Ed., it invites you to mark how often certain statements feel true for you (Almost Always, Sometimes, Not Yet) and uses those responses to highlight the resilience you already have. Rather than comparing you to anyone else, it simply offers a snapshot of where you are right now so you can celebrate what is working and gently notice where you might need support.
Four pillars of resilience
The DARS organizes its items into four key areas that are important for adults, especially those who care for young children.
- Relationships: Your network of supportive, trusting connections – friends, mentors, and the people you lean on and show up for.
- Internal Beliefs: How you see yourself and your life, including your sense of purpose as a caregiver, your hopes for the future, and your belief that you are lovable and capable.
- Initiative: The ways you take action – trying new solutions, asking for help, saying no when needed, and staying open and curious.
- Self-Control: How you express feelings, set limits for yourself, stay flexible, and bring yourself back to calm.
For many early childhood professionals, simply seeing their strengths across these four areas on one page is validating. It puts words to resilience they may not even realize they’re practicing every day.
How it works: from checklist to small next steps
Here’s the flow: you complete the survey, reflect on your “Almost Always,” “Sometimes,” and “Not Yet” responses, and then choose one or two areas you’d like to strengthen. The DARS packet even includes space to jot down examples for each item and an action plan page where you list your strengths, set simple goals, and note strategies you want to try. This keeps the process light and realistic – more like a quick reset than a major life overhaul.
Pair it with “Building Your Bounce” when you’re ready
If you want to go deeper, the DARS connects directly to the resource, Building Your Bounce: Simple Strategies for a Resilient You. Each area of the survey (Relationships, Internal Beliefs, Initiative, Self-Control) has simple and practical strategies, like finding a mentor, growing gratitude, learning to say no, or practicing deep breathing. You can think of the DARS as your starting checkpoint and the Building Your Bounce resource as the next step toolbox, ready whenever you have a little more time and space.
Why this matters for those who care for children
The DARS was created specifically for adults who care for young children in mind, recognizing that their well-being directly affects the climate they create for children and families. By spending just a few minutes with this checklist, early childhood professionals can gain insight into their own protective factors – insights that can help them cope with daily stress and continue to show up with warmth, patience, and energy. Even if you already see yourself as a strong, happy person, the DARS encourages you to keep building yourself up so you can maintain or increase your overall well-being over time.
Ready to get started? Grab your copy of the DARS below!
