Common Measures

CYFAR Approved Common Measures

CYFAR Common Measures revision was spearheaded by the CYFAR PDTA Center, a partnership between the University of Minnesota and Pennsylvania State University, in order to support CYFAR grantees with their program evaluation efforts. This process included creating a new CYFAR model and the systematic identification, review, and vetting of instruments to gather comprehensive data on various program and participant outcomes. These measures were selected during a rigorous identification and review process because they are appropriate for CYFAR target populations, address outcomes important to CYFAR programs, and address the need to assess system-wide impact with validated tools.

CYFAR grantees will be required to collect the following information

CYFAR data collection is a pre/post design with data collected at the beginning and the end of the program throughout the year.

Measures Completed by Children (9 years and younger):

• Program Quality
• Life Skills
• Resilience

Measures Completed by Youth (approximately 10 years to 17 years):

• Demographics
• Life Skills
• Resilience
• Program Quality
• Engagement

Measures Completed by Adults (approximately 18 years and older):

• Demographics
• Life Skills
• Resilience
• Program Quality
• Participation
• Engagement

Measures Completed by Program Staff:

• Program Quality (staff perception of program quality)
• On behalf of child participants - Demographics, Participation, and Engagement
• On behalf of youth participants – Participation

Please note all the measures previously mentioned are required. There are no longer any short-term measures. Grantees may also include additional measures based on their individual program evaluation needs.

In the table below you will find a list of the approved and required Common Measures for use by CYFAR grantees. The left column of the table includes the name of the measure and a link to a printable PDF version of the instrument. The right column provides an overview of the measures.