Introduction

Congratulations on saying “Yes to FCS”!

This is an exciting time to be a Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) educator. We are needed more than ever! Our society continues to face ongoing issues such as childhood obesity, student loan debt, cyberbullying, and the list–unfortunately–goes on. In FCS, we address these issues and allow our students to discover practical solutions to resolve many of these issues. Whether you pursue a career in the classroom or in another setting such as Extension or a non-profit organization, as an FCS educator, you can make an impact. You’ve chosen a career path that will allow you to make a difference in the lives of many!

We hope that you will find this electronic textbook to be a valuable resource during your academic program and beyond. Because the book is in an electronic format, we are continually updating the text as needed and adding chapters. We have updated and new chapters in this Fourth Edition! As new chapters are included, they will be added to the text in an order that aids the reader and connects the content of the text.  This means that the chapter numbers may shift, so be sure to read or use the title of the chapter rather than relying solely on the chapter number to guide your reading.

This text has been an ongoing project, and many in the FCS profession have contributed their expertise in writing a chapter or two. We greatly appreciate the patience of our colleagues and their continued support of this project. We would also like to thank each one of our authors for their time in proposing, writing, and revising chapters as requested, as well as several undergraduates who reviewed the earliest chapters and provided valuable feedback.

Chapters in this text can be used in instructional methods courses and beyond. For example, the text begins with a chapter on the development and history of the FCS profession, which is more than a century old!  The text continues with chapters supporting FCS classroom instruction, and other chapters with the information needed to support diverse learners.  You’ll learn about advising students in Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapters and 4-H Youth Development programs, and much more.

Each chapter begins with a brief introduction and then provides a list of Key Terms that are addressed in the chapter. Chapters also include a Check for Understanding section with learning activities designed to extend the content. Some of these activities could be modified by you to use with your future students! But, the best thing is that ALL chapters are directly related to teaching FCS!

We wish you continued success and are thrilled that you’ve said, “Yes to FCS”, truly the best profession.

Sincerely,