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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.

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Career Gear (USA)

Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Employment, Adults

Goal: The goal of Career Gear is to provide appropriate business clothing for job seekers and to promote job-retention and career advancement.

Caring Bear Picnic (Arenac County, MI)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families, Rural

Goal: The mission of the Caring Bear Picnic is to educate children and parents on how to live healthy lifestyles through hands-on activities.

Impact: For over 30 years, the Caring Bear Picnic has educated children and parents on how to live healthy lifestyles through hands-on activities.

Cash Back (New York )

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Income, Adults, Families, Urban

Goal: The Cash Back initiative aims to help low-income residents take advantage of tax credits by offering free tax preparation services.

CDC Communities Putting Prevention to Work: Increase Access to Cessation Services (Santa Clara County, CA)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: The goal is to increase cessation within communities with the highest tobacco use rates through culturally appropriate services provided through community-based organization partners.

Impact: The intervention has resulted in a 39% quit success rate.

Champions for Children (Seattle, WA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Children

Goal: The goal of this program is to improve the quality of child care and education in Seattle.

Chicago Child-Parent Centers (Chicago, IL)

Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Children, Urban

Goal: The goal of this program is to provide comprehensive educational support and family support to economically disadvantaged children and their parents.

Chicago Commons Employment Training Center (Chicago, IL)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment, Families, Urban

Goal: The mission of Chicago Commons is to help individuals, families and communities to overcome poverty, discrimination and isolation.

Chicago Community Loan Fund (Chicago, IL)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes

Goal: CCLF's vision is to work creatively with their clients to help them rejuvenate neighborhoods and improve the lives of low-wealth individuals and families who live in those communities.

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: Teacher Training Workshop

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Social Environment, Children

Goal: The training provides an opportunity for teachers to (1) explore their own sexual and abuse-related issues and opinions; (2) determine and build upon their knowledge of the symptoms of abuse; and (3) understand their legal and ethical responsibilities as teachers.

Children and Neighbors Defeat Obesity (CAN DO) Houston (Houston, Texas)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Prevention & Safety, Children, Urban

Goal: The goal of CAN DO Houston is to prevent childhood obesity in the Houston area by facilitating programs that encourage good nutrition, physical activity, and healthy minds.

An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.