Comprehensive Quality Programming and Accountability: Eight Essential Strategies for Implementing Successful Prevention Programs

This article presents strategies that can be used to improve the state of the practice of prevention programs. Although these strategies have broad application to all forms of prevention and intervention programs, this article focuses on the application of such strategies to youth and family prevention programs. If positive changes in the lives of the youth and families in our communities are to be realized, it is imperative that effective and quality prevention programs reach these populations. We present a series of eight specific strategies, collectively referred to as Comprehensive Quality Programming (CQP), and an overview of an effective method for using such strategies to continuously improve programs. The use of CQP will be illustrated with three examples, including an evaluation of a school-based mentoring program.