Guide to Effective Programs
for Children and Youth



School-Based



21st Century Community Learning Centers
Program was effective in increasing parental involvement in the schools and changed where and with whom students spent their out-of-school time.

5-A-Day Power Plus Program
Program increased students' consumption more servings of fruits and vegetables during lunchtime.

The Aban Aya Youth Project
Program reduced self-reported violence, provoking behavior, school delinquency, substance use, and sexual activity.

Adolescent Alcohol Prevention Trial (AAPT)
School-based program that reduced substance use and abuse.

Adolescent Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids Program (ATLAS)
Program reduced the use of steroids and other illicit drugs, and improved nutrition, exercise behavior, and drug refusal skills.

Adult Identity Mentoring (AIM)
Program increased likelihood of students abstaining from intercouse.

Aggressors, Victims & Bystanders
Program had no impacts on social problem-solving skills, beliefs supporting violence, behavioral intent, and self reported antisocial behavior.

Al's Pals
Program developed social-emotional competence and coping skills in children.

Alcohol Misuse Prevention Study (AMPS)
School-based education and skills-building program temporarily decreased serious substance use and vehicle offenses in high-schoolers.

All4You
Program increased likelihood of students using condoms and decreased frequency of sex.

All Stars
Program that used debates and meetings to reduce adolescent alcohol, cigarette, and inhalant use.

Altering the school environment to prevent eating disorders
Approach that engaged students and teachers had positive impacts on teenage girls' nutritional/eating behaviors.

Anger Coping Program
School-based program decreased aggression and problem behavior in school-age boys.

"Arthur" Television Program
Program improved children’s narrative development compared with children in the control condition who watched the Between the Lions program.
 

Be Proud! Be Responsible!
School-based program that reduced number of sexual partners and frequency of unprotected sex.
 

Becoming A Responsible Teen (BART)
Program involved schools and community employers to promote high school graduation and job skills.

Bienstar Health Program
Program lowered fasting glucose levels and increased physical fitness scores and dietary fiber intake in students.

Breakthrough To Literacy (BTL)
Program had no observable impacts on children's early literacy skills.

Building Early Language and Literacy (BELL)
Program engaged teachers in oral language, phonological awareness, and print awareness activities, but did not have any impacts on child related outcomes in these areas.

Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) Summer Learning Program
Program improved reading skills and parental involvement.

Career Academies
Program involved schools and community employers to promote high school graduation and job skills.

Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH)
Multicomponent health program decreased fat intake and increased physical activity in children and adolescents.

Children Are People Too (CAP)
Program decreased social isolation, improved peer relations, and reduced interpersonal aggression and disruptive conduct.

Children of Divorce Intervention Program (CODIP)
School-based program improved children's social competence and self-esteem and reduced problem behaviors.

 

Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools
Program reduced symptoms of PTSD, depression, and psychological dysfunction.

Cognitive-Behavioral Training Program for Behaviorally Disordered Adolescents
Students in classes assigned to receive this training were observed engaging in aggressive behavior significantly less frequently than students assigned to the control group following the intervention.


Cognitively Guided Instruction
School-based program that increased math skills and problem-solving strategies.

Communication Skills Training program (CST)
16-session program improved communication skills in adolescents.

Condom Intervention With Women
Program increased the likelihood of condom use at last intercourse.

Condom Promotion Videos for College Students
Program increased students' likelihood of intention of condom use.

Consulting Program for Teachers to Prevent Vandalism
Program increased amount of praise given to students by teachers and decreased school vandalism.

The Coping Power Program
Program reduced rates of substance use and delinquent behavior while also improving children’s social competence and behavior.

Coping With Depression (CWD-A)
Program increased self-esteem and reduced depression.

DaisyQuest
Program had mixed results in increasing phonological awareness.


Direct Instruction and Mediated Learning
Program increased children's development and cognitive processes.

Early Adolescent Anger Reduction Intervention
Program reduced forms of anger and had impacts on depression, shyness, general deviance, and anxiety.

Early Childhood Aggression Study
Program reduced extremely antisocial behavior among white boys.

Early Risers
Program reduced disruptive behavior among children who have exhibited aggressive behavior through parent education and skills training

Early Training Project
Program increased children's performance on assessments on IQ, receptive vocabulary, word knowledge, word discrimination, and reading.

Ending Violence
Program had immediate impacts on acceptance of dating violence and intention to seek help if involved with dating violence.

Enhanced Managing Pressures Before Marriage (MPM)
Program showed a positive impact on parent-child communication and self-efficacy and lowered intent to have sex.

Experience Corps
Program using adult volunteers in the classroom increased standardized reading test scores and reduced misbehavior referrals.

Families United to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (FUPTP)
School-based program that had no impact on students' abstinence, sexual onset, sexual partners, pregnancy rate, STD acquisition, and contraceptive use.

Family/Media Approach to HIV Prevention
Program increased knowledge of HIV, AIDS, and STDs and family problem-solving skills.

Fast Track Prevention Project
Comprehensive, ten-year intervention program had positive impacts on high-risk children’s development.

First Step to Success (FSS)
Program positively impacted young children’s behavior problems. 

Gimmie 5 (4th and 5th Grade Students)
Program increased students' consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Gimmie 5: A Fresh Nutrition Concept for Students
Program increased students' knowledge of fruit and vegetable nutrition

Girlfriends for KEEPS
Program for girls increased healthy choice behavior intentions, diet knowledge, and preference for physical activity.

Friendly PEERsuasion
School-based program had success in increasing young girls' avoidance of cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs.

GO GIRLS!
Program decreased students' weight concerns and increased their positive view towards making friends.
 

Good Behavior Game (GBG)
Classroom based program decreased male students' levels of aggression and likelihood of smoking in early adolescence.


Healthy for Life Project (HFL)
School-based program designed to change health risk behaviors had null or negative impacts on sexual health outcomes.

Healthy Weight Regulation Curriculum
Girls assigned to the treatment group scored significantly higher than girls assigned to the control group on a test of healthy weight regulation knowledge.

Heart Smart School Health Promotion
Program increased "good" cholesterol and fitness levels.

High 5
Program increased students' consumption of fruits and vegetables

Hutchinson Smoking Prevention Project (HSPP)
Multi-year school-based program, focused on social influences to smoke, did not impact teens' smoking behaviors.
 

Incredible Years Series
Intervention program for those at-risk for behavior problems.  Program enhanced parenting skills and improved children's academic and social competence.


Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP)
Program reduced aggressive and destructive behavior and delayed initiation into substance use.

Keep a Clear Mind
Program increased parent-child communication about resisting peer pressure related to drug and alcohol use.

Keepin' it R.E.A.L.
Program reduced gateway drug usage and improved norms, attitudes, and resistance strategies towards drug use.

Know Your Body
Program decreased students' smoking and increased nutritious diet consumption.

Leadership Education Through Athletic Development (LEAD)
Program increased students' cognitive, affective, and physical self-regulation and were rated as more prosocial by their teachers.

Life Skills Training (LST)
Multi-year drug use prevention program decreased substance use in adolescents.

Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers (LIFT)
School-based and parenting components had positive impacts on school-age children's and adolescents' social skills.


Making A Difference!
School-based program that increased condom use after 12 months.


Making Proud Choices!
School-based program that reduced frequency of unprotected sex.

The McMaster Teen Program
School-based program that showed no positive impact on abstinence, contraception, or pregnancy.


Metropolitan Area Child Study (MACS)
Program reduced aggression in urban-poor neighborhoods with higher levels of school and community resources.

Midwestern Prevention Project
Program employed individual, parental, and community components to decrease drug use in adolescents.

Minnesota Competence Enhancement Project (MCEP)
Program showed no impacts on child behavior.

Montreal Prevention Experiment
Program increased boys' performance on measures of school adjustment and delinquency.

My Choice, My Future!
School-based program that had no impact on students' abstinence, sexual onset, sexual partners, pregnancy rate, STD acquisition, and contraceptive use.

Penn Prevention Program (PPP)
Addition of community component reduced the typical increase of tobacco use in teens.

Peer Coping Skills Training (PCS)
Program reduced teacher ratings of aggression in children and increased teacher ratings of prosocial coping.

Peer Intervention Program
Driver education-based program led to higher rates of teen intervention in peers' drinking and driving behaviors.

Phonological Awareness Training (PAT)
Program has not shown to increase phonological awareness.

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
Program increased the rate of children's initiations to communication.

Plan a Safe Strategy Program (PASS)
School based program reduced drunk driving and reports of being a passenger of a drunk driver.

Positive Prevention
Program reduced likelihood of initiation of sexual activity.

Positive Youth Development Program
Classroom-based program improved social skills in adolescents.
 

Postponing Sexual Involvement
Postponing Sexual Involvement (PSI) is a middle school sex education curriculum that focuses on delaying sexual activity.


Preventive Alcohol Education Program
Program increased knowledge on alcohol effects and ability to refute pro-drinking pressures.

Problem Solving for Life
School-based program decreased depressive symptoms and increased problem-solving skills for adolescents with high risk for depression.

Problem-Solving Skills Training Program
School-based program was effective in helping children generate more solutions and appropriate responses to social problems and considering the consequences of social actions.

Project ALERT
School-based drug use prevention program made short-term reductions in adolescents' substance use.

Project CHARM
Program increased students' AIDS knowledge and reduced the number of sexual partners at the six-month followup.

Project EX
Program was found to increase the likelihood of quitting smoking among teens.

Project Northland
Multi-year, multi-component program lowered adolescents' substance use and susceptibility to peer influence.


Project SAFE (Strengthening America's Families and Environment)
Program improved student school bonding, parenting skills, social competence, family relationships, and student self-regulation.
 

Project Sixteen
Addition of community component reduced the typical increase of tobacco use in teens.


Project SNAPP
Interactive peer-led pregnancy/AIDS prevention program did not impact adolescent sexual health behaviors.

Project Taking Charge
Program was found to  increase adolescents' and parents' knowledge of sexual development and STDs.

Project Towards No Drugs
School-based program decreased alcohol and hard drug use in high-schoolers.

Project Toward No Tobacco Use (Project TNT)
Classroom-based program with follow-up booster sessions reduces tobacco use in adolescents.

Project TRUST
Program increased students' knowledge of victimization prevention information.
 

Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS)
School-based program which increased children's ability to manage emotions and helped encourage them to discuss their feelings.
 

Protecting You/Protecting Me (PY/PM)
Program increased awareness about vehicle safety and reduced children's intentions to ride with impaired drivers.

Reach for Health Service Learning Program
Program reduced the likelihood of participants initiating sex by 10th grade.

Reaching Educators, Children and Parents (RECAP)
Program improved children's internalizing and externalizing problems.

Reading One-to-One
Low-cost tutoring program had positive impacts on children's reading skills.

Ready, Set, Leap!
Program increased participants' early literacy skills

Recapturing the Vision
School-based program that had no impact on students' abstinence, sexual onset, sexual partners, pregnancy rate, STD acquisition, and contraceptive use.

Reconnecting Youth
School-based program decreased dropout, substance use and behavior problems in high-risk teens.

RELATE Program for Teens
School-based program was effective in increasing positive social behaviors and reducing negative social behaviors.

Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways
Program increased the knowledge-base of participants.

Safe Child Program
Program was effective in teaching the children skills to decrease their risk of being abused and abducted.

SAFEChildren
Program was effective in increasing children’s reading ability and retaining parent involvement in the school over time.

Safe Dates
Program decreased students' favorable attitudes toward dating violence and students were less likely to report being perpetrators of abuse in their current relationship.

Safe Performance Curriculum
Program increased student likelihood of obtaining a license, getting in a car accident, and receiving a traffic violation.

Safer Choices
Multi-component sexuality education program led to higher rates of condom usage in high-schoolers.

School Attendance Demonstration Project
Multi-component service delivery program improved school attendance in AFDC-receiving teens.

School-Based Intervention to Reduce Aggressive Behavior in Maladjusted Adolescents
Program decreased negative behavior in students.

School Choice Scholarships Program
Program showed positive impacts for African American students.

School Nurse-Delivered Adolescent Smoking Cessation Counseling Intervention
Program had impacts on plans to quit smoking, self confidence to quit, and cessation of smoking.

Schools Without Failure (SWF)
School-based program changed teacher behaviors and reduced teacher referrals to the principal.

SEARCH/TEACH Tutoring
Program did not have any impact on word comprehension, phonetic analysis, reading/decoding, written spelling, and reading achievement.

Second Step
Program reduced levels of observed aggressive behavior and increased pro-social behavior among elementary school-aged children.

Sembrando Salud
Program improved parent-child communication in households with fewer children.

Signs of Suicide Prevention Program
Program was effective in increasing knowledge about suicide and depression and decreasing suicidal ideations and attempts.

Skills for Adolescence
Program reduced marijuana use and reports of binge drinking among students in the program.

Smoke Free Class Competition
Program lessened the proportion of increased smokers in schools.

Social Problem-Solving (SPS)
Program increased problem-solving skills.

Social Relations Interventions
Program promoted positive social skills and behavioral strategies with aggressive children.

Social Skills and Academic Skills Training for Rejected Boys
Program increased social preference ratings by peers and increased reading comprehension scores.

Social Skills Training Program for Children's Social Functioning
School-based program increased self-esteem ratings and social activity levels of isolated and/or rejected children.

Social Skills Training Program for Pre-Adolescent Girls with Few Friends
Program increased participants' time interacting in conversation and with others and decreased time spent alone.

Spit Tobacco Intervention for High School Athletes
Program successfully promoted spit tobacco cessation among current users.

Stanford Adolescent Heart Health Program
School-based program had positive impacts on teen health and health behaviors.

Steps to Respect Bullying Prevention Program
Program increased agreeable social interactions and students’ feelings of responsibility in bullying situations involving peers.

Structured Learning Training (SLT)
School-based program increased students' assertive interactions with teachers, peers, and parents.

Students Managing Anger Resolution Together (SMART) Talk
Program increased students' awareness of their responses to anger, knowledge about anger triggers, and intentions to use non-violent solutions to resolve conflict.

Summer Training and Education Program (STEP)
Community- and school-level program had positive short-term, but not long-term, behavioral impacts.

Sunny Days, Healthy Ways
Program increased knowledge of sun safety and decreased favorable attitudes towards tanning.

Teach Baltimore
Program increased academic performance.

Teaching Students to be Peacemakers
School-based program that was found to be effective in teaching children more constructive conflict negotiation strategies.

Teen Outreach Program (TOP)
Multi-component volunteering program had positive impacts on educational, reproductive, and certain behavioral outcomes.

Teen Talk
School based program increased the likelihood of abstinent males maintaining abstinence, and sexually active males consistently using contraception.

Teens in Control
School-based program that had no impact on students' abstinence, sexual onset, sexual partners, pregnancy rate, STD acquisition, and contraceptive use.

Untitled School Based Suicide-Prevention Program
Program increased feelings of personal control.

Vaughn and Ridley Problem Solving Skills Training Program
Program increased the number of solutions children could generate to solve a social problem.

Washington State Client-Centered Pregnancy Prevention Programs
Program decreased likelihood of teens having and intending to have intercourse.

Who Do You Tell
Program increased participants knowledge of appropriate and inappropriate touch.

Woodrock Youth Development Project (WYDP)
Multi-component program positively impacted substance use, race relations, and other outcomes in at-risk children and teens.

The Youth AIDS Prevention Project (YAPP)
School-based program increased likelihood contraceptive use among students initiating intercourse while YAPP was ongoing.