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, Economy / Employment, Children
Goal: MY TURN's mission is to help youth develop goals, skills and confidence needed to transition successfully into post-secondary education or training and the world of work.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Teens, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: NFTE's mission is to motivate young people from low-income communities to stay in school, learn about entrepreneurship, and plan for successful futures.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment, Adults
Goal: New Hope provided full-time workers with several benefits: an earnings supplement to raise their income above poverty, low-cost health insurance, and subsidized child care. For those unable to find full-time work, the program offered help in finding a job and referral to a wage-paying community service job when necessary.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program is to provide assistance to clients whose primary language is not English.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment, Adults
Goal: Opportunity Chicago's goal was to identify employment barriers within the system and to reduce those barriers by creating processes that would result in a smoother and more streamlined path to employment for CHA residents.
Impact: Of the 6,743 participants in an Opportunity Chicago program between 2006 and 2010, 5,185 (77%) were employed by the end of the project. Fifty-four percent retained employment for two or more years. Fifty-nine percent of participants saw an increase in quarterly earnings.
Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Investment & Personal Finance, Children, Teens
Goal: The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative is a national foundation whose mission is to help youth in foster care make successful transitions to adulthood.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment, Children, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program is to provide flexible, nurturing education and child care for working families.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Social Environment, Families
Goal: The goals of the program included helping unemployed, noncustodial parents (primarily fathers) to secure employment, pay child support, and participate more fully and responsibly as parents.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment, Teens, Families
Goal: This study addresses how to use national service to build effective welfare-to-work programs, and to encourage business collaborations. Two major suggestions are partnering with Employer Advisory Groups and generating national level support.
Filed under Good Idea, Education / Educational Attainment, Adults
Goal: The Per Scholas mission is to not only open doors to technology careers, but to build the foundation for future sustainability and growth for our communities.