DAMARISCOTTA MILLS — The Maine Association of Family Consumer Sciences (MAFCS) will celebrate National Family & Consumer Sciences Educator Day 2021 on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

This event showcases the value and importance of family and consumer sciences education and its educators. FCS education takes place throughout all 16 Maine counties in public and private grammar, middle and high schools, college, university and community settings across all generations.

MAFCS will thank FCS educators and supporters throughout the state, including those who teach FCS principles at public and private schools, through the UMaine Cooperative Extension, local businesses, community and youth organizations such as FARMS, 4-H, Family, Careers and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), as well as in grocery store and healthcare settings.

Nationwide in secondary education alone, more than 27,000 family and consumer sciences educators are teaching more than three million students personal development and career preparation skills in critical areas, such as nutrition and wellness, healthy food preparation, child and family development, environmental design, consumer decision-making and personal finance.

A recent example of the power of FCS Educators comes from Vermonter Jen Ellis, who made Bernie Sanders’ inauguration mittens. Ellis credits her South Portland High School FCS educator, Jeannette Collett, with giving her the skills she used to create the now-famous mittens.

Family and consumer sciences educators also work within the Cooperative Extension system, through the nation’s land-grant universities. Extension educators bring family and consumer sciences research and education programs for youth and adults to local communities. Locally, UMaine’s Cooperative Extension’s food preservation workshops teach community members the basics of canning and freezing, including how to use pressure canners and water bath canners to preserve pickles, jam and vegetables. Nutrition workshops deliver cost-effective tips for using local foods in a healthy way.

In higher education, family and consumer sciences teacher educators prepare the next generation of family and consumer sciences educators who work in a variety of practice settings, including secondary education and Cooperative Extension. There are more than 100 family and consumer sciences teacher preparation programs in the U.S.

While family and consumer sciences secondary education, Extension and university teacher preparation programs are strong, all have identified a future shortage of qualified educators to meet their needs. National Family & Consumer Sciences Educator Day is part of the “Say Yes to FCS” educator recruitment initiative to help meet the need for family and consumer sciences educators. Requirements for becoming certified as a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher in Maine can be found at maine.gov/doe/cert/requirements.

Visit fcsed.net to learn more about a career as a family and consumer sciences educator.  To learn more about FCS in Maine send an email to MaineAFCS@outlook.com.

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