Family life education
Encyclopedia
Family Life Education is the effort made by American professional organizations, universities, and individuals to strengthen families through social science education.
classes, pre-marriage education, marriage enrichment programs, and family financial planning courses are a few examples of this human development
profession. These formal programs are a relatively recent phenomenon. However, Family Life Education has existed informally throughout history — with marriage and child-rearing counsel passed from generation to generation as well as by written information in ancient writings, mythology
and religious scripture.
In a seminal work in the field, by Margaret Arcus, Jay Schvaneveldt and J. Joel Moss, the Handbook of Family Life Education offers several definitions by scholars as the field has evolved over time, dating back to 1962. Unlike Family Therapy
, Family Life Education works on a prevention model — teaching families to enrich family life and to prevent problems before they occur. Family Therapy intervenes primarily after problems set-in. Research from the Rand Corporation (from Rand research report Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
(in its report Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return) shows that family problems are less damaging for people — and less expensive for society — when they can be tackled by prevention. Family Life Education recognizes that all families can benefit from education and enrichment programs — not only those experiencing difficulties.
Certification vs. Licensure vs. Accreditation
It might be helpful to clarify the different types of credentialing practices. Approval can be issued to individuals or academic programs, via either governmental public policy or by non-governmental organizations. In brief,
a. Certification
is a voluntary process by which a professional agency or association grants recognition to an INDIVIDUAL who has met certain predetermined qualifications or standards.
b. Licensure
is a mandatory process by which a government or licensing bureau permits INDIVIDUALS to practice in designated professions. It gives qualified people the right to engage in a particular occupation or profession in that state, to use a specific title, or to perform a specific function.
c. Accreditation
is a process by which a professional agency or association recognizes that a PROGRAM meets certain requirements. It ensures quality control of colleges and university programs — not individual practitioners.
a. By completing a standardized, 150 multiple-choice question exam
b. By completing a degree program in one of over 125 college and university programs in the family sciences that have affiliated with NCFR as approved family science curricula. A college or university family studies program must be "accredited" by one of the U.S. regional accrediting agencies
before applying for NCFR’s approval. Graduates of NCFR-approved programs complete an Abbreviated Application process to receive Provisional Certification.
Family Life Educators work in many settings — academia
, health care facilities, community programs, human services agencies, corporate employee Work-Life programs, faith-based organizations and public policy arenas. For more information on the professional association for Family Life Educators or the CFLE credential, go to www.ncfr.org/cfle-certification .
Canadian family life educators can be certified through the Certified Canadian Family Educator Program operated by the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs.
, forming the underpinnings for the national network of Land Grant
universities, agricultural experiment stations, and the Cooperative Extension Service
out of the US Department of Agriculture. The Hatch Act specifies, in part, that the federal resources for research and education should focus on "agriculture in its broadest aspects" to include the "development and improvement of the rural home." This early form of Family Life Education centered around the field of Home economics
and training of practical home-based skills in areas such as food preparation and sewing. Family Life Education moved into widespread public awareness in the early 20th century by offering gardening, home canning and nutrition
information to homemakers in programs such as the "Victory Gardens
."
In 1912, President William Howard Taft
established the "Children's Bureau
," the oldest Federal agency for child welfare within the Administration for Children and Families
. The Children's Bureau was created to investigate and report on infant mortality
, birth rates, orphanages, juvenile court
s, and other social issues of that time. The Children's Bureau also introduced parent education materials by producing infant
and child care booklets for families in the early 20th century. As the field evolved, the discipline the public had come to know as "Home Economics
" expanded to include psychosocial
education to support healthy adult and child development
, parenting
, relationship enrichment and communication skills. In recognition of the increasing breadth of the field, many college and university degree programs renamed their "Home Economics
" major to ones entitled "Human Ecology
," "Family Studies," "Family Life Education," "Family Science" or the like.
In the late 1980s, Dr. Michael A. O'Donnell—a former Assistant Professor of Family Studies and Dean of Professional Studies with Faulkner University and Certified Family Life Educator—and Dr. Nick Stinnett (professor with the University of Alabama) co-founded The International Family Life Institute, Inc., Montgomery, AL, a for-profit enterprise offering assistance in curriculum development, prevention-through-education seminars, and research and writing projects in the area of family and consumer science and practice. The International Family Life Institute helped pioneer the first B.S. degree completion program
in Family Life Education on the campus of Spring Arbor University, Mich.
In 1996 the National Council on Family Relations began reviewing and approving family degree programs for inclusion of coursework that could lead to Provisional Certification as a Certified Family Life Educator(CFLE). As of May, 2011 there were 125 NCFR CFLE-approved academic programs.
Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs
Definition
The premier professional organization in the U.S. for Family Life Educators, the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), explains Family Life Education this way: "Family Life Education is the educational effort to strengthen individual and family life through a family perspective. The objective of Family Life Education is to enrich and improve the quality of individual and family life." ParentingParenting
Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
classes, pre-marriage education, marriage enrichment programs, and family financial planning courses are a few examples of this human development
Developmental psychology
Developmental psychology, also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes, emotional changes, and perception changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to...
profession. These formal programs are a relatively recent phenomenon. However, Family Life Education has existed informally throughout history — with marriage and child-rearing counsel passed from generation to generation as well as by written information in ancient writings, mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
and religious scripture.
In a seminal work in the field, by Margaret Arcus, Jay Schvaneveldt and J. Joel Moss, the Handbook of Family Life Education offers several definitions by scholars as the field has evolved over time, dating back to 1962. Unlike Family Therapy
Family therapy
Family therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy, family systems therapy, and family counseling, is a branch of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view change in terms of the systems of...
, Family Life Education works on a prevention model — teaching families to enrich family life and to prevent problems before they occur. Family Therapy intervenes primarily after problems set-in. Research from the Rand Corporation (from Rand research report Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States, covers the 9th District of the Federal Reserve, including Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota, northwestern Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan...
(in its report Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return) shows that family problems are less damaging for people — and less expensive for society — when they can be tackled by prevention. Family Life Education recognizes that all families can benefit from education and enrichment programs — not only those experiencing difficulties.
Credentialing of Family Life Educators
In 1985, the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) established the first national credential for the profession — the Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE). As of 2011, there were approximately 1550 CFLEs in the U.S. and Canada. The National Council on Family Relations is the nation’s oldest non-profit professional association focused solely on family research, practice and education and the professional home for the nation’s leading family researchers and educators. Founded in 1938, NCFR is non-partisan and is the nation’s premier source of family research and Family Life Education practice information. They publish three scholarly research journals, the Journal of Marriage and Family, Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, and Journal of Family Theory and Review. NCFR holds an annual conference that draws approximately 1100 family professionals together to share the latest family research and information on best practices.Certification vs. Licensure vs. Accreditation
It might be helpful to clarify the different types of credentialing practices. Approval can be issued to individuals or academic programs, via either governmental public policy or by non-governmental organizations. In brief,
a. Certification
Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...
is a voluntary process by which a professional agency or association grants recognition to an INDIVIDUAL who has met certain predetermined qualifications or standards.
b. Licensure
Licensure
Licensure refers to the granting of a license, which gives a "permission to practice." Such licenses are usually issued in order to regulate some activity that is deemed to be dangerous or a threat to the person or the public or which involves a high level of specialized skill...
is a mandatory process by which a government or licensing bureau permits INDIVIDUALS to practice in designated professions. It gives qualified people the right to engage in a particular occupation or profession in that state, to use a specific title, or to perform a specific function.
c. Accreditation
Accreditation
Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...
is a process by which a professional agency or association recognizes that a PROGRAM meets certain requirements. It ensures quality control of colleges and university programs — not individual practitioners.
Certification Options through NCFR
Those holding the Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) designation are voluntarily "certified" as opposed to holding "licensure." Individuals can pursue the national CFLE credential through one of two ways:a. By completing a standardized, 150 multiple-choice question exam
b. By completing a degree program in one of over 125 college and university programs in the family sciences that have affiliated with NCFR as approved family science curricula. A college or university family studies program must be "accredited" by one of the U.S. regional accrediting agencies
Regional accreditation
Regional accreditation is a term used in the United States to refer to educational accreditation conducted by any of several accreditation bodies established to serve six defined geographic areas of the country for accreditation of schools, colleges, and universities...
before applying for NCFR’s approval. Graduates of NCFR-approved programs complete an Abbreviated Application process to receive Provisional Certification.
Family Life Educators work in many settings — academia
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
, health care facilities, community programs, human services agencies, corporate employee Work-Life programs, faith-based organizations and public policy arenas. For more information on the professional association for Family Life Educators or the CFLE credential, go to www.ncfr.org/cfle-certification .
Canadian family life educators can be certified through the Certified Canadian Family Educator Program operated by the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs.
History of Family Life Education
A form of Family Life Education entered public policy in the 1800s in the U.S. Hatch Act of 1887Hatch Act of 1887
The Hatch Act of 1887 gave federal funds, initially of $15,000 each, to state land-grant colleges in order to create a series of agricultural experiment stations, as well as pass along new information, especially in the areas of soil minerals and plant growth...
, forming the underpinnings for the national network of Land Grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
universities, agricultural experiment stations, and the Cooperative Extension Service
Cooperative extension service
The Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant...
out of the US Department of Agriculture. The Hatch Act specifies, in part, that the federal resources for research and education should focus on "agriculture in its broadest aspects" to include the "development and improvement of the rural home." This early form of Family Life Education centered around the field of Home economics
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
and training of practical home-based skills in areas such as food preparation and sewing. Family Life Education moved into widespread public awareness in the early 20th century by offering gardening, home canning and nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
information to homemakers in programs such as the "Victory Gardens
Victory garden
Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply...
."
In 1912, President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
established the "Children's Bureau
United States Children's Bureau
The United States Children's Bureau is a federal agency organized under the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families. Today, the bureau's operations involve improving child abuse prevention, foster care, and adoption...
," the oldest Federal agency for child welfare within the Administration for Children and Families
Administration for Children and Families
The Administration for Children and Families is a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services . It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. It has a $58.8 billion budget for 65 programs that target children, youth and families...
. The Children's Bureau was created to investigate and report on infant mortality
Infant mortality
Infant mortality is defined as the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births. Traditionally, the most common cause worldwide was dehydration from diarrhea. However, the spreading information about Oral Re-hydration Solution to mothers around the world has decreased the rate of children dying...
, birth rates, orphanages, juvenile court
Juvenile court
A juvenile court is a tribunal having special authority to try and pass judgments for crimes committed by children or adolescents who have not attained the age of majority...
s, and other social issues of that time. The Children's Bureau also introduced parent education materials by producing infant
Infant
A newborn or baby is the very young offspring of a human or other mammal. A newborn is an infant who is within hours, days, or up to a few weeks from birth. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth...
and child care booklets for families in the early 20th century. As the field evolved, the discipline the public had come to know as "Home Economics
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
" expanded to include psychosocial
Psychosocial
For a concept to be psychosocial means it relates to one's psychological development in, and interaction with, a social environment. The individual needs not be fully aware of this relationship with his or her environment. It was first commonly used by psychologist Erik Erikson in his stages of...
education to support healthy adult and child development
Child development
Child development stages describe theoretical milestones of child development. Many stage models of development have been proposed, used as working concepts and in some cases asserted as nativist theories....
, parenting
Parenting
Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
, relationship enrichment and communication skills. In recognition of the increasing breadth of the field, many college and university degree programs renamed their "Home Economics
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
" major to ones entitled "Human Ecology
Human ecology
Human ecology is the subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on humans. More broadly, it is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The term 'human ecology' first appeared in a sociological study in 1921...
," "Family Studies," "Family Life Education," "Family Science" or the like.
In the late 1980s, Dr. Michael A. O'Donnell—a former Assistant Professor of Family Studies and Dean of Professional Studies with Faulkner University and Certified Family Life Educator—and Dr. Nick Stinnett (professor with the University of Alabama) co-founded The International Family Life Institute, Inc., Montgomery, AL, a for-profit enterprise offering assistance in curriculum development, prevention-through-education seminars, and research and writing projects in the area of family and consumer science and practice. The International Family Life Institute helped pioneer the first B.S. degree completion program
Degree completion program
A degree completion program is an educational program providing a way for learners to get college credit for learning that they acquired through life and work experience. Degree completion programs, unlike diploma mills, work within the established university community to provide accredited degrees...
in Family Life Education on the campus of Spring Arbor University, Mich.
In 1996 the National Council on Family Relations began reviewing and approving family degree programs for inclusion of coursework that could lead to Provisional Certification as a Certified Family Life Educator(CFLE). As of May, 2011 there were 125 NCFR CFLE-approved academic programs.
United States Agencies
Canadian Agencies
Certified Canadian Family Educator ProgramCanadian Association of Family Resource Programs