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 Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens
Goal: The goal of SPARK is to promote physical activity among youth through school-based programs.
Impact: A health-related physical education curriculum can significantly increase physical activity for students in physical education classes.
St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center Community-Building/Vocational Services Initiative (Syracuse, NY)
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Social Environment, Adults, Urban
Goal: The goal of St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center's Community-Building/Vocational Services Initiative is to revitalize the neighborhood by increasing community development and job placement.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Oral Health, Children, Older Adults, Urban
Goal: The goal of St. Peter's Dental Program is to improve access to dental care and treatment for the poor, elderly, and under served populations living in and around Albany, New York.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Families
Goal: The Starting Right Initiative works to prevent, treat and reverse childhood obesity and malnutrition in low-income communities.
Impact: The Starting Right Initiative aims to encourage healthy eating habits in children and their families and works to reduce childhood obesity and malnutrition at seven project locations nationwide.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children
Goal: 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.
Impact: 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 Effective Practice, Health / Prevention & Safety, Adults
Goal: The mission of the Steps to a Healthier Washington program is to integrate existing chronic disease programs to achieve policy and systems changes.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Cancer, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The goal of this program is to use storytelling to increase colorectal cancer screening and improve nutrition and physical activity among underserved Latina women.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Community / Social Environment, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The program aims to reduce substance abuse risk factors and improve relationships in high-risk families.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Families
Goal: Strong4Life is a statewide movement to inspire kids and families to develop lifelong healthy habits, one positive step at a time.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Civic Engagement, Children, Teens
Goal: The overall goal of the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) program is to establish a collaboration among high school students, college mentors, and local business leaders as the high school students complete experiential learning projects related to global entrepreneurship.