NYS-TEACHS › Info and Forms

NYS-TEACHS
at Advocates for Children

151 West 30th Street
5th Floor
New York, NY 10001

TEL 800.388.2014
FAX 212.807.6872

info@nysteachs.org

Glossary O-Z

A-G |
H-N |
O-Z

OCFS: Office of Children and Family Services. OCFS was created to improve the integration of services for New York State's children, youth, families and vulnerable populations, to promote their development and to protect them from violence, neglect, abuse and abandonment.
OPT: Office of Pupil Transportation. The OPT works to ensure that all eligible New York City students receive safe, clean and reliable transportation to and from school.
OTDA: Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. The mission of OTDA is to promote the independence of New York State residents by providing temporary and transitional assistance, disability assistance, and assist with the collection of child support for those in need.
PATH: Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing. The PATH Intake Center opened in New York City in November, 2004 for families in need of emergency housing. The PATH office, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, provides a separate location specifically for pregnant women and families applying for shelter.
Person in Parental Relation: If a parent is unable to make education decisions for her child, she may temporarily designate another person to make those decisions on behalf of her child. The person assuming this responsibility is called the "person in parental relation."
PINS: Person(s) in Need of Supervision. A person in need of supervision is a youth under the age of 18, who has committed a "status offense," such as accruing a number of unexcused absences from school. A PINS Petition may be issued for a youth who misses several days of school with no excuse for his or her absences.
RHY: Runaway and Homeless Youth. RHY are protected by the McKinney-Vento Act and fall under the category of unaccompanied youth.
School District of Origin: The school a temporarily housed student attended when permanently housed; or the last school in which a temporarily housed student was enrolled.
SEA: State Educational Agency. The SEA in New York is NYSED.
Section 8: A type of federal assistance dedicated to sponsoring subsidized housing for low-income families and individuals. In the Section 8 Program, tenants pay about 30 percent of their income for rent, and the remainder of the rent is paid with federal money. It is formally known as the Housing Choice Voucher Program, but is commonly referred to as simply Section 8. In New York State, because of budgetary constraints, only D-V survivors and families experiencing homelessness are eligible for the Section 8 waitlist.
SED or NYSED: State Education Department (generally used to refer to the New York State Education Department).
SES: Supplemental Education Services. SES are provided in addition to regular academic instruction and are designed to increase the academic achievement of students whose schools have officially labeled "in need of improvement." SES provides free after-school tutoring for all students in NCLB failing schools.
Shelter Transfer: Students attending the school district of origin and residing in a shelter outside of that school district may be able to request a shelter transfer (a transfer to a shelter that is closer to the child's school) depending on whether there are beds available.
STAC Forms: System to Track and Account for Children Forms. STAC forms are completed for each student who is designated as homeless within a given school district. For NYSED STAC forms are used for reimbursement purposes. For school districts, the STAC forms are also used for data collection.
State Plan: New York State's plan for the education of homeless children and youth, which is reported to the Federal government.
STH Content Expert: Students in Temporary Housing Content Expert. Homeless Liaisons are referred to as STH Content Experts in NYC.
TANF: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. TANF was created by the Welfare Reform Law of 1996, replacing what was then commonly known as welfare: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs. TANF is a federally-funded program that provides monthly cash assistance for families in need with dependent children under 18 years old.
Terminal year: A student's final year in a given school building, e.g. 8th grade or 12th grade.
TIL: Transitional Independent Living. TIL programs aim to provide NYC homeless youth ages 16-21 years old with the training and skills necessary to establish independence. Youth may stay in a TIL program for up to 18 months, during which time they receive educational services, vocational training, job placement assistance, counseling and training in basic life skills such as cooking, home maintenance and money management. All TIL Programs are open 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
Title I: Under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education act, each LEA must set aside funds to provide services to homeless students who are not enrolled in Title I, Part A-funded schools.
Truancy: Chronic, unauthorized absences from school.
U.S. DOE: U.S. Department of Education.
Unaccompanied Youth: A student who is not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian is considered an unaccompanied youth. That student may also be designated as homeless if she lacks a fixed, adequate and regular nighttime residence.
VESID: Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities. VESID promotes educational equity and excellence for students with special needs while ensuring that they receive the rights and protection to which they are entitled.
WEP: Work Experience Program, also known as workfare. WEP participants are public assistance recipients who are required to accept workfare assignments in order to receive benefits.
Youth Bureau: An agency created by Counties, Cities, Towns or Villages with a population of 20,000 or more, for the purpose of planning, coordinating and supplementing the activities of public, private, end religious agencies devoted to the welfare and protection of youth. In NYC, the youth bureau is called DYCD. Youth Bureaus are funded by OCFS.