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 Effective Practice, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: Both local and state governments face huge challenges in providing senior populations access to public, agency, professional and family caregivers, and community services that allow seniors to remain independent. The complex maze of constantly changing program and service eligibility rules challenge even the most knowledgeable senior service providers. Fragmentation within senior service agencies further results in duplication of services, unnecessary waiting lists, and caregiver and volunteer burnout. This resource attempts to address those problems by providing quick and easy access to a variety of programs.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Families, Urban
Goal: The goal of Shape Up Somerville is to prevent obesity through a community-based environmental change intervention.
Impact: Through multi-level social interventions (community, school, family) intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and screen time can decrease among children.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Built Environment
Goal: Smart Growth has three straightforward goals:
- to save our most valuable remaining natural resources before they are forever lost,
- to support existing communities and neighborhoods by targeting state resources to support development in areas where the infrastructure is already in place or planned to support it, and
- to save taxpayers millions of dollars in the unnecessary cost of building the infrastructure required to support sprawl.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Oral Health, Children
Goal: The goal of the Smile Alabama! initiative is to improve oral health services for Medicaid-eligible children.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children
Goal: The goal of this program is to prevent children's exposure to secondhand smoke.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Social Environment, Children
Goal: The goal of this program is to help students acquire social and decision-making skills and to develop their ability to effectively use those skills in real-life and academic situations.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program is to create affordable rental and home ownership opportunities for families and to protect current residents from displacement.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Families
Goal: The goal of beautification and restoration projects is to restore neighborhoods and communities in order to prevent criminal activity and encourage community engagement.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Social Environment, Children, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The goals of this program are to improve parenting skills and children’s behaviors and decrease conduct disorders; to improve children’s social competencies; and to improve family attachment, harmony, communication, and organization.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: The goal of the program is to promote health and prevent injury among seniors through a series of community-based strength training classes.