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 / Literacy, Children, Teens, Urban
Goal: Partners in School Innovation enables public schools in high-poverty Bay Area communities to achieve educational equity through school-based reform.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Built Environment, Children, Teens, Adults, Families
Goal: The Project Youth Green project is a community garden project that aims to involve families and youth in learning about local, sustainable food and gardening projects. The four acre community revitalization project focuses on youth education, community gardening and physical exercise.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Children, Families, Urban
Goal: Raising A Reader's mission is to foster healthy brain development, encourage parent and child bonding through reading together and facilitate future school success by increasing reading skills.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Literacy, Children, Urban
Goal: Reading Partners mission is to help children become lifelong readers by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction with measurable results.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens, Urban
Goal: To provide housing to homeless youth aged 18 to 24 and provide comprehensive behavioral health services.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment
Goal: The goal of this program is to help high-risk youth develop marketable skills and to instill in students the values of dignity, responsibility and community.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Built Environment, Urban
Goal: Goals of the Bay-Friendly Landscaping & Gardening Coalition include:
- Reduce waste & help meet recycling goals.
- Reduce water use on landscapes by 50% or more.
- Nurture healthy soils while reducing fertilizer use.
- Use integrated pest management to minimize chemical use.
- Prevent or reduce storm water pollution to our local creeks and bay.
- Lower maintenance associated with mowing and shearing.
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Create wildlife habitat.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes
Goal: The goals of the Homeless Garden Project (HGP) are to offer a supportive, meaningful work environment that encourages self-esteem, responsibility, and self-sufficiency; to integrate homeless people and the community in the security and beauty of a productive garden; and to put into practice the principles of economic and ecological sustainability.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Goal: The goal of the program is to increase compliance with the public health law that prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone under 19.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Public Safety, Children, Urban
Goal: The goal of the TARGET program is to reduce gang crime by selectively incarcerating the most violent and repeat (recidivist) gang offenders (based on their criminal records).