Promising Practices
The Promising Practices database informs professionals and community members about documented approaches to improving community health and quality of life.
The ultimate goal is to support the systematic adoption, implementation, and evaluation of successful programs, practices, and policy changes. The database provides carefully reviewed, documented, and ranked practices that range from good ideas to evidence-based practices.
Learn more about the ranking methodology.
Filed under Good Idea, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Children, Families
The project's goal is to identify children with disabilities and other special needs at an early age and provide those identified with the appropriate support so they can be successful when entering kindergarten.
Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Employment, Adults
Spectrum Vocational Services provides individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities the opportunity to achieve career and personal goals.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Teens
The goal of SPORT is to help adolescents avoid substance use by increasing physical activity and bettering their self images.
This program provides a whole body experience, where youth focus on improvements in their lives instead of drugs.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Teens
To reduce substance abuse and motivate positive behaviors including physical activity in adolescents age 13-17.
SPORT integrates content targeting alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention with promotion of physical activity and other health enhancing habits in adolescents.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
The goal of this program is to embed a sustainable evidence-based fall prevention program within greater Hartford senior centers by enhancing fall prevention-related knowledge and behavior, while also building or enhancing relationships between senior centers and relevant community and health care organizations.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children
Kansas’s Step It Up: Taking Steps to Healthy Success (Step It Up) Project aims to work towards making improvements to policies and practices in child care programs with regard to breastfeeding, child nutrition, physical activity, outdoor learning, and reductions in screen time. Step It Up is an extension of the National Early Care and Education Learning Collaboratives Project (ECELC) and uses a similar learning collaborative model.
Step It Up: Taking Steps to Healthy Success has made great improvements in promoting healthy eating and physical activity. The topics of Child Nutrition and Infant & Child Physical Activity had the highest number of increases in best practices. Breastfeeding & Infant Feeding had the highest percentage of best practices being met at pre-assessment (55%).
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality
To find, explore, and implement a sustainable funding stream for community-based healthcare interventions.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Community / Social Environment, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
The program aims to reduce substance abuse risk factors and improve relationships in high-risk families.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Teens, Families
The goals of this program are to (1) prevent teen substance abuse and other behavior problems; (2) strengthen parenting skills; and (3) build family strengths.
The evaluation demonstrated that youths who participated in the study had less substance use, fewer conduct problems, and better resistance to peer pressure and that program parents were better able to show affection and support and set appropriate limits for their children.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Children, Teens, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Rural
The SAAF program aims to prevent initiation of risk behaviors such as drug abuse, alcohol and cigarette use, and sexual activity in low-income African American preadolescents.
This program has helped create positive family interactions and support youth and teens as they take the next steps toward a positive future.