Illinois Department of Human Services
Bureau of Youth Intervention Services
8.0 - Glossary of Terms
Revised Date: July 2013
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- I
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- S
- T
- Y
- Links & Resources
A
Agreement: a written contract or subcontract.
Allowable costs: those costs which can be charged to the Teen REACH contract by the provider.
Anecdotal data: program data that is descriptive and not qualitative.
Annual IDHS Program Spending Plan: annual Spending Plan submitted by the provider to IDHS for Teen REACH.
Annual Program Plan: annual program plan submitted by the provider to IDHS for Teen REACH.
ATOD: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs.
B
Best practice: In prevention services, this term is used to denote program models or curricula that have an evaluation of the highest quality, using an experimental design with a randomized sample. Each best practice has been replicated by an independent investigator other than the program developer. Outcome data from relevant research studies show clear evidence of program effectiveness. Another term for best practice is evidence-based program model.
Bureau of Youth Intervention Services (BYIS): offers prevention, diversion, intervention, and treatment services, targeting youth to support families in crisis, prevention juvenile delinquency, and divert youth at risk of involvement in the child welfare, juvenile justice or corrections system.
C
Center for Prevention Research and Development (CPRD): A research unit within the University of Illinois Institute for Government and Public Affairs works on a contractual basis to help organizations with program development, evaluation, needs assessment and policy recommendation.
Community Support Services Consultant (CSSC): IDHS staff assigned regionally to provide technical assistance, assessment and monitoring of local providers.
Consolidated Fiscal Review (CRF): End of the year fiscal summary submitted annually after the fourth quarter and year-end close out.
Core service: one of the six essential activities of the Teen REACH program: academic assistance, life skills, sports and recreation, mentoring, parental involvement and service learning.
Cost reimbursement basis: payments to providers based on the actual program costs.
Council on Accreditation: promotes quality service standards for after school care of school age children and youth.
D
Documentation: written forms that track and demonstrate the participant profile and outcome data; staff activity; program performance.
Duties: tasks and responsibilities.
E
e-Cornerstone: web based data collection system used by IDHS for youth service programs including Teen REACH.
Evaluation: determination through use of program data, the effectiveness of the program's performance and the participant impact.
Evidence-based Program Model: see best practice.
EDF: IDHS forms used to document fiscal expenditures of the Teen REACH grant.
F
Fee-for-service contract: payments for providers that are based on a fixed set of cost for each program activity or service unit.
Full time equivalent (FTE): a person employed full time by a Teen REACH provider. The number of hours that constitute full time is defined by the provider by may range from 35-40 hours per week.
G
Gender-based programs: program models that are designed to serve either girls or boys; not a co-ed grouping.
Goal: general statement of purpose or direction: over-arching arms of a program.
I
Illinois After-school for Children and Teens Now Coalition (ACT NOW): ACT NOW was created to serve as a vehicle for individuals, organizations, and systems to work together to ensure that all young people in Illinois have access to quality, affordable after-school programs; and provide quality after school programs that includes networking and network coordination advocacy, technical assistance/training, evaluation, and research.
Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS):a state agency assisting Illinois residents to be self-sufficient and independent.
Illinois School Age Child Care Network: A statewide membership organization and affiliate of the National AfterSchool Association, with the goal of providing professional supporting quality improvements in after school settings through professional development, technical assistance, advocacy, education and promotion of holistic, developmentally appropriate practices.
Implementation monitoring: a function in which program outputs, participant outcomes, program activity data, and supporting documentation is reviewed on a regular basis.
Indirect rates: a fixed amount set by a provider to meet the costs of general operations.
Interns: students at the high school or college level who work in a program as part of their school or course requirements.
L
Linkage agreement: a written agreement between a Teen REACH program, and an organization acknowledging that communication and support given between two organizations is established.
Letters of collaboration: written letters agencies, schools, organizations acknowledging and confirming their commitment and support given toward a Teen REACH program.
M
Mandated reporter: professionals who work with children in the course of their professional duties. Mandated reporters are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
Mentors: adults willing to share time and interests with Teen REACH participants.
MOST (Making the Most of Out of School Time): MOST, a program of Action for Children, believes in empowering communities to create out-of-school time programs that work. They employ a holistic approach to address out-of-school programs focusing service offerings in professional development, community outreach and program improvement.
N
National Institute on Out-of-School-Time (NIOST): formerly the SACC Project, the Institute was developed to implement consistent standards of care for children in after school programs.
O
Out-of-school time: before school, after school, (primarily weekday hours from 3:00 p.m. through 7:00 p.m.) week-ends, school holidays and school vacations when adult supervision is limited.
Outcome: A measurable change in knowledge, attitude, skill, or behavior as a result of program activity.
Outcome evaluation: documents the results of program, the changes in individuals and organizations.
Older youth: IDHS will give priority to agencies providing services to youth ages 11-17. Agencies serving both younger and older age groups must provide no more than 30% of their services to children ages 6 to 10.
P
Part time equivalent (PTE): staff who work less than full time at an agency.
Participant: any child, youth, parent, or care giver who participates in a Teen REACH program participant outcome.
Partner: a community agency, institution, or service that cooperates with a Teen REACH provider in the delivery of core or other support services, but does not receive Teen REACH funds.
Peer influence: program models that allow youth to gain knowledge, experience, and expertise that they then share with peers.
Performance measurement review process (PerMS): assessment utilizing data gathered from the e-Cornerstone system, the projected numbers provided by the agency in their application, and the total Teen REACH grant amount.
Planning: a detailed method worked out beforehand to implement a daily activity or core service.
Prevention First, Inc.: an agency that maintains a library, a clearinghouse, and conducts trainings and conferences focused on ATOD prevention funded by IDHS.
Process evaluation: examines the way a program is implemented and keeps a program on tract to realize its objectives.
Program assessment: a method used to assess a provider's progress in meeting fiscal program obligations and performance.
Provider: the local agency that is awarded the Community Services Agreement for delivery of services for the Teen REACH program.
Program incentives: small item or program event that is used as a reward to encourage program attendance or academic achievement.
Program performance: stated products of the Teen REACH program by the provider: numbers served, number of groups or program sites; number of sessions; etc.
Program outcome: a measurable result of a program on a participant.
Program site: location where a comprehensive Teen REACH program is offered. A program site has staff, all core services, participants, and regular program hours.
Prospective payment: standard fiscal management system used by IDHS.
Process evaluation: examines the way a program is implemented and keeps a program on track to realize its objectives.
Q
Qualitative data: data that is more subjective; based on observation and description, rather than a measurement.
Quantitative data: data that is objective; based on a measurement against standard or stated outputs.
S
Service Learning: community service is an important aspect of the Teen REACH design, and youth participating in Teen REACH programs must be given the opportunity to participate in a minimum of one service learning activity per fiscal year.
Special education: federally mandated testing and services for children and teens experiencing significant delays in development or school performance.
Spend down: utilization of funds throughout the fiscal year.
Spending Plan and program revisions: changes made to the Teen REACH Annual Spending Plan or Program Plan during the course of a fiscal year. Revisions must be approved before implementation.
Subcontractor: an organization or individual who is paid by a provider to provide services to the Teen REACH program.
Summary Expenditure Documentation Forms: see EDF.
T
Technical assistance: assistance offered by the IDHS Community Services Support Consultant and Teen REACH Program Staff to providers to ensure implementation of the Teen REACH program standards and policies.
Y
Youth Network Council: supports local youth serving organizations and enhances their capacity through a multifaceted program of training; technical assistance; information dissemination; public education; state, regional, national, and international networking; service brokerage; policy development; legislative advocacy; exposure to myriad of opportunities which are not otherwise available at the local level.
Links & Resources
Program administration and reporting forms, individual file forms, and general program information and resources, are available by calling the Bureau of Youth Intervention Services, Teen REACH at (217) 557-2109 and/or on the DHS Website at www.dhs.state.il.us.
