Family and Consumer Sciences Standards

PA Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education

Pennsylvania’s public schools shall teach, challenge and support every student to realize his or her maximum potential and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in..

◊ 11.1. Financial and Resource Management

◊ 11.2. Balancing Family, Work, and Community Responsibility

◊ 11.3. Food Science and Nutrition

◊ 11.4. Child Development.

The focus of the Academic Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences education is the individual, the family and the community. The economic, social and political well-being of our state depends on the well being of Pennsylvania’s families. The family is responsible for nurturing its members. Family experiences, to a great extent, determine who a person is and what a person becomes. Family and Consumer Sciences, working with Pennsylvania’s families, supports the development of the knowledge and skills that students need as family members both now and in the future. The 21st Century requires students to develop the ability to transform information into knowledge by using standards to certify that this information is meaningful, categorizing it to a purpose and then transforming their knowledge into wisdom by applying it to real life.

National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education

Career, Community and Family Connections

• Integrate multiple life roles and responsibilities in family, work, and community settings
• Analyze strategies to manage multiple individual, family, career, community, and global roles and responsibilities.
• Demonstrate transferable and employability skills in school, community and workplace settings.
• Evaluate the reciprocal effects of individual and family participation in community activities.

Consumer and Family Resources

• Evaluate management practices related to the human, economic, and environmental resources.
• Demonstrate management of individual and family resources such as food, clothing, shelter, health care, recreation, transportation, time, and human capital
• Analyze the relationship of the environment to family and consumer resources
• Analyze policies that support consumer rights and responsibilities
• Evaluate the effects of technology on individual and family resources
• Analyze relationships between the economic system and consumer actions.
• Demonstrate management of financial resources to meet the goals of individuals and families across the life span.

Consumer Services

• Analyze career paths within consumer service industries.
• Analyze factors that affect consumer advocacy.
• Analyze factors in developing a long-term financial management plan
• Analyze resource consumption for conservation and waste management practices.
• Demonstrate skills needed for product development, testing, and presentation.

Education and Early Childhood

• Integrate knowledge, skills, and practices required for careers in early childhood, education, and services.
• Analyze career paths within early childhood, education & related services.
• Analyze developmentally appropriate practices to plan for early childhood, education, and services.
• Demonstrate integration of curriculum and instruction to meet children's developmental needs and interests.
• Demonstrate a safe and healthy learning environment for children.
• Demonstrate techniques for positive collaborative relationships with children.
• Demonstrate professional practices and standards related to working with children.

Facilities Management and Maintenance

• Analyze career paths within the facilities management and maintenance areas.
• Demonstrate planning, organizing, and maintaining an efficient housekeeping operation.
• Demonstrate sanitation procedures for a clean and safe environment.
• Apply hazardous materials and waste management procedures.
• Demonstrate a work environment that provides safety and security.
• Demonstrate appropriate laundering processes.
• Demonstrate facilities management functions.

Family

• Evaluate the significance of family and its impact on the well-being of individuals and society.
• Analyze the impact of family as a system on individuals and society.
• Demonstrate appreciation for diverse perspectives, needs, and characteristics of individuals and families.

Family and Community Services

• Integrate knowledge, skills, and practices required for careers in family and community services.
• Analyze career paths within family and community services.
• Analyze factors related to providing family and community services.
• Demonstrate professional behaviors, skills, and knowledge in providing family and community services.
• Evaluate conditions affecting individuals and families with a variety of disadvantaging conditions.
• Identify services for individuals and families with a variety of disadvantaging conditions.

Food Production and Services

• Integrate knowledge, skills, and practices required for careers in food production and services.
• Analyze career paths within the food production and food services industries.
• Demonstrate food safety and sanitation procedures.
• Demonstrate selecting, using, and maintaining food production equipment.
• Demonstrate planning menu items based on standardized recipes to meet customer needs.
• Demonstrate commercial preparation for all menu categories to produce a variety of food products.
• Demonstrate implementation of food service management functions.
• Demonstrate the concept of internal and external customer services.

Food Science, Dietetics, and Nutrition

• Analyze career paths within food science, dietetics, and nutrition industries.
• Apply risk management procedures to food safety, food testing, and sanitation.
• Evaluate nutrition principles, food plans, preparation techniques, and specialized dietary plans.
• Demonstrate food science, dietetics, and nutrition management principles and practices.

Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation

• Analyze career paths within the hospitality, tourism, and recreation industries.
• Demonstrate procedures applied to safety, security, and environmental issues.
• Apply concepts of service to meet customer expectations.

Housing, Interiors and Furnishings

• Analyze career paths within the housing, interiors, and furnishings industry.
• Evaluate housing decisions in relation to available resources and options.
• Evaluate the use of housing and interior furnishings and products in meeting specific design needs.
• Demonstrate computer-aided drafting design, blueprint reading, and space planning skills required for the housing, interiors, and furnishings industry.
• Evaluate client’s needs, goals, and resources in creating design plans for housing, interiors, and furnishings.

Human Development

• Analyze factors that impact human growth and development.
• Analyze principles of human growth and development across the life span.
• Analyze conditions that influence human growth and development.
• Analyze strategies that promote growth and development across the life span.

Interpersonal Relationships

• Demonstrate respectful and caring relationships in the family, workplace, and community.
• Analyze functions and expectations of various types of relationships.
• Analyze personal needs and characteristics and their impact on interpersonal relationships.
• Demonstrate communication skills that contribute to positive relationships.
• Evaluate effective conflict prevention and management techniques.
• Demonstrate teamwork and leadership skills in the family, workplace, and community.
• Demonstrate standards that guide behavior in interpersonal relationships.

Nutrition and Wellness

• Demonstrate nutrition and wellness practices that enhance individual and family well-being.
• Analyze factors that influence nutrition and wellness practices across the life span.
• Evaluate the nutritional needs of individuals and families in relation to health and wellness across the life span.
• Demonstrate ability to acquire, handle, and use foods to meet nutrition and wellness needs of individuals and families across the life span.
• Evaluate factors that affect food safety, from production through consumption.
• Evaluate the impact of science and technology on food composition, safety, and other issues.

Parenting

• Evaluate the impact of parenting roles and responsibilities on strengthening the will-being of individuals and families.
• Analyze roles and responsibilities of parenting
• Evaluate parenting practices that maximize human growth and development
• Evaluate external support systems that provide services for parents.
• Analyze physical and emotional factors related to beginning the parenting process.

Textiles, Fashion, and Apparel

• Integrate knowledge, skills, and practices required for careers in textiles and apparel.
• Analyze career paths within textile apparel and design industries.
• Evaluate fiber and textile products and materials.
• Demonstrate fashion, apparel, and textile design skills
• Demonstrate skills needed to produce, alter, or repair fashion, apparel, and textile products.
• Evaluate elements of textile, apparel, and fashion merchandising.
• Evaluate the components of customer service.