© 2009 National Council on Family Relations

National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) sponsors the only program to certify family life educators.

FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION (FLE) is the educational effort to strengthen family life through a family perspective.

The objective of family life education is to enrich and improve the quality of individual and family life.

Family Life Education emphasizes processes to enable people to develop into healthy adults and to realize their potential. FLE helps people work together in close relationships and facilitates the ability of people to function effectively in their personal lives and as members of society.

While various professionals assist families, it is the family life educator who incorporates a family-systems, preventive and educational approach to individual and family issues.

Families & Individuals in Societal Contexts

Internal Dynamics of Families

Human Growth & Development over the Life Span

Human Sexuality Interpersonal

Relationships

Family Resource Management

Parent Education and Guidance

Family Law & Public Policy

Professional Ethics & Practice

Family Life Education Methodology

Marital choice Cross-cultural and

minority families

Kinship Changing gender roles Demographic trends Historical issues Work-family

relationships Societal relations

Structures and functions

Cultural variations Dating Courtship

Internal social processes

Communication Conflict

management Normal family

stresses Family crises Special needs in

families

Prenatal Infancy Early and middle

childhood Adolescence Adulthood Aging

Reproductive physiology

Biological determinants

Aspects of sexual involvement

Sexual behaviors

Sexual values and decision-making

Family planning Sexual response Influence on

relationships

Self and others Communication

skills Intimacy Love Romance Relating to others

Goal-setting & decision-making

Development & allocation of resources

Social environment influences

Life cycle and family structure influences

Consumer issues and decisions

Parenting rights and responsibilities

Parenting practices/processes

Parent-child relationships

Variation in parenting solutions

Changing parenting roles over the life cycle

Family and the law Family and social

services Family and

education Family and the

economy Family and religion Policy and the

family

Ethics of Professional Practice Formation of values Diversity of values in pluralistic society Examining ideologies Social consequences of value choices Ethics and technological change

Planning and implementing

Evaluation Education

techniques Sensitivity to

others Sensitivity to

community concern

In

Family Life Education

Family life educators work with individuals and families in varying capacities. They have specific training in family systems and development that enables them to bring a family perspective to their chosen career, regardless of the employment sector.

State, federal, & local government

Nonprofit and for-profit organizations

Social services Health promotion Military family support Parenting education

Faith communities University and

colleges Extension Entrepreneur Counseling Communication Business Education

Practice- teaching, education, program or curricula development,

Administration - leadership or management, organizing, coordinating, and

Promotion - public policy, lobbying, advocating for system change and awareness.

Increases credibility as a professional by showing that the high standards and criteria needed to provide quality family life education have been met

Validates experience and education

Adds credibility to the field by defining standards and criteria needed to provide quality family life education

Recognizes the broad, comprehensive range of issues which constitutes family life education and expertise in the field

Acknowledges the preventive focus of family life education

Provides avenues for networking with other family life educators both locally and nationally

Quarterly newsletter, Network, and a Directory of Certified Family Life Educators

Access to CFLE listserv

Certification offers the opportunity to attend special CFLE meetings and events

Completion of the CFLE Exam

Abbreviated Application Process

Because NCFR has already approved your school’s course work in the 10 content areas, you qualify to apply using the Abbreviated Application certification process which saves you time and money!

Those who did not graduate from an NCFR-Approved program need to complete the CFLE Exam

150 multiple-choice questions Offered multiple times each year For Full Certification - $250 for NCFR

members; $350 for non-members For Provisional Certification - $175 for

NCFR members; $275 for non-members Graduates of NCFR-approved programs

do not need to take the CFLE exam.

Graduates of NCFR-approved academic programs can apply for Provisional Certification through the Abbreviated Application process.

Each NCFR-approved program has a checklist of pre-approved courses.

Graduates complete the checklist and submit it along with the application and an official transcript showing degree completion and the application fee

NCFR Content Area Approved coursework at Montana State U-Bozeman

1. Families & Individuals in Societal Contexts

HDCF 263 – Relationships and Family Systems, ANDHDCF 464 – Gender, Social Class, and Family Diversity

2. Internal Dynamics of Families HDCF 263 – Relationships and Family Systems

3. Human Growth and Development HDCF 160 – Human Development: Conception Through Adolescence, ANDHDCF 360 – Human Development: Adult and Aging

4. Human Sexuality HDHL 240 – Human Sexuality

5. Interpersonal Relationships HDCF 263 – Relationships and Family Systems, ANDHDCF 319 – Theories and Skills for Helping Relationships

6. Family Resource Management HDCF 437 – Managing Work and Family, ANDHDCF 338 – Personal and Family Finance

7. Parent Education and Guidance HDCF 440 – Parenting

8. Family Law and Public Policy HDCF 425R – Family Law and Public Policy

9. Professional Ethics & Practice HDCF 474 – Senior Seminar: Professional Issues Field Experience, OREDSD 413 – Professional Issues

10. Family Life Education Methodology HDCF 447 – Family Life Education

11. Internship/Practicum (minimum 3 semester credits and 120 clock hours)

HDCF 474 – Senior Seminar: Professional Issues Field Experience, OREDSD 459 – Methods of teaching FCS, ANDHDCF 335 - Program Planning, AND,EDSD 410 – Student Teaching

Checklist

Official transcript

Submissions welcomed year-round

Apply within 2 years of graduation

$100 fee for NCFR members; $125 for non-members

Provisional Certification is intended for applicants who have met the academic requirements of the CFLE designation.

Provisional CFLE’s upgrade to Full Certification status once they can document a specified amount of work experience in family life education.

Degree Type

Provisional

Full Bachelor’s Master’s or Ph.D.

Family Degree from an NCFR-approved Program earned within the past two years

Complete Abbreviated Application Process

Complete Abbreviated Application Process & document FLE work experience by completing the FLE Work Experience Summary form

Document at least 3,200 hours FLE work experience to qualify for Full Certification

Document at least 1,600 hours FLE work experience to qualify for Full Certification

You save $$! It is less expensive and less time intensive to apply under the Abbreviated process!

Submissions welcomed year-round

Provisional CFLEs can upgrade to Full Certification after earning work experience in family life education

Congratulations! You have completed the first step to certification. You are attending an approved school.

Here’s how to apply -

1. Access NCFR’s website – ncfr.org2. Under How to Become a CFLE,

select Application Process3. Click on Abbreviated Application

4. Print the Abbreviated Application Directions and Application Form

5. Go to Academic Program Approval6. Locate your state and school and click

on the checklist for your school.7. PRINT the checklist

Consult the checklist as you plan your coursework within your major.

Submit: An Official

Transcript Showing Degree Completion

A Completed Checklist

The Application Fee

NCFR allows for TWO Substitutions

Substitutions MUST cover required content area (e.g. Infant Development is not an acceptable substitute for an aging class in Content Area #3)

Remember:When substituting classes, always submit the class syllabus and a brief description of how the class met the content area.

If the substitution course was completed at a school other than the approved school, submit an official transcript showing completion of the course.

NCFR accepts transferred classes from both approved and non-approved schools. However, these courses would be counted as substitutions and would follow the substitution requirements. You must provide an official transcript for the transfer classes if it was taken at another school

Submitting a photocopy of an official transcript) rather than the OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT

Submitting a transcript that does not show DEGREE COMPLETION.

Substituting more than 2 classes. Not providing a syllabus for a class being

used as a substitution for an approved class Not being an NCFR member

(Being a member saves you money)

On Behalf of NCFR Staff, all CFLE’s, and the general NCFR Membership, we Welcome YOU to your Professional Home.

Please feel free to contact Maureen Bourgeois at NCFR for any of your questions, concerns, or comments. Maureen can be reached at maureenbourgeois@ncfr.org

© 2008 National Council on Family Relations