Family Life Education
The family life education concentration prepares students to provide preventive services for children and families in a variety of settings. The goal of this concentration is to provide students with a multi-contextual understanding of family dynamics in order to engage with families in preventive practices designed to encourage healthy functioning and well-being across the family lifecycle. Successful completion of this concentration qualifies students to apply for provisional certification in Family Life Education (CFLE) through the National Council on Family Relations.
Students in the family life education concentration experience a curriculum uniquely crafted to prepare them for working with children and families in diverse settings. Courses in this concentration include:
- Family Life Education and Ethics
- Family Life in the Global Perspective
- Child and Family Policy and Advocacy
- Stress Management
Beyond classroom instruction, students in the family life education concentration gain over 10 hours of skills-based practice at the Piper Center for Family Studies and Child Development, our lab-based environment for developmentally-appropriate and best practices in the field. Beyond the lab environment, all Child and Family Studies students complete a 150-hour practicum in a field setting suited to the student’s professional goals.
Students who successfully complete the family life education concentration degree plan will be able to:
- Implement family life education methods with diverse families,
- Recognize cultural implications on family functioning,
- Understand the role of public policy on family well-being, and
- Pursue certification as a Family Life Educator (CFLE) through the National Council on Family Relations.
Graduates from this concentration are prepared for roles in nonprofit, ministry, healthcare, and many other organizational settings.
The Intentional Family website provides an example of online Family Life Education developed by our faculty.