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, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children, Teens, Families
Coalition for Community Schools’ mission is to mobilize the resources and capacity of multiple sectors and institutions to create a united movement for community schools.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Children
The goal of this program is to relieve symptoms of PTSD, depression, and general anxiety among children exposed to trauma.
Studies have found significant reductions in PTSD and depression symptoms for treatment children in CBITS when compared with a control group. Additionally, the program demonstrated effectiveness at reducing parent-reported psychosocial dysfunction among participating children.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Children
The goal of this program is to provide students with skills that can be used for understanding and controlling their emotions.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children
The goal of Color Me Healthy is to promote and encourage physical activity and healthy eating among children ages four and five.
The program has had a positive impact on children's knowledge of and participation in physical activity. Similarly, it has had a positive impact on children's ability to recognize and their willingness to try fruits and vegetables. It has also increased children's fruit/vegetable snack consumption.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants, Families
The Healthy Neighborhoods program seeks to reduce housing related illness and injury through prevention and education.
In the past five years, the HNP visited 31,000 homes with 85,000 residents, and provided the asthma intervention to 11,000 adults and children with asthma. The assessments created a valuable data set about the health effects of housing hazards.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Women
The goal of Commit to Quit is to help female smokers quit smoking through group programming and exercise.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children, Teens, Adults
The goal of the program is to make a positive difference in the lives of children, primarily through professionally guided one-to-one relationships with caring adults, and to assist them in achieving their highest potential, as they grow to become confident, competent and caring individuals.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Built Environment, Children, Families
The Community Gardens Program aims to improve the health of the residents of San Antonio and the environment by creating community gardens, which provide a place for gathering, exercising, and learning, as well as preserving San Antonio’s green space.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases
The initial goal of this group was to initiate communication between the private and public health care sectors in regards to influenza prevention planning. Once that communication was established and barriers were identified and addressed, the group identified the following goals: develop a common message for the general public regarding influenza vaccination, educate all health care providers regarding CDC influenza vaccination guidelines and encourage them to adhere to these guidelines, establish consistency in timing for vaccination clinics throughout the community and consistency in vaccination costs, and develop a local influenza surveillance system.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
The goal of this program is to reduce high-risk drinking behaviors.
Studies demonstrate that the program resulted in decreases in substance use and behaviors related to risk factors. Participants had significant reductions in drinking quantities, variances in drinking quantities, rates of driving when having had too much to drink, and rates of driving over the legal limits relative to nonparticipants. There was also a significant decrease in the number of nighttime crashes per month and the monthly rates of driving under the influence (DUI) crashes.