The CFLE Program Nuts and Bolts

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

What Is FLE? 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.

Preventive and Educational FLE emphasizes processes to enable people to develop into healthy adults, to help people work together in close relationships, and to facilitate the ability of people to bring out the best in others. While various professionals assist families, it is the family life educator who incorporates a preventive and educational approach to individual and family issues.

Family Life Education Content Areas

10 Family Life Content Areas Families in Society 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 Family Life Education Methodology

Careers Opportunities 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.

FLE Employment Settings 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

FLE Employment Venues Practice- teaching, education, program or curricula development, Administration - leadership or management, organizing, coordinating, and Promotion - public policy, lobbying, advocating for system change and awareness.

Certification Regular Application Process Abbreviated Application Process

Academic Program Review Because NCFR has already approved your school’s course work in the 10 substance areas, the certification process saves you time and money!

Regular Application Process Beginning in 2008, portfolio process replaced with a CFLE exam Submission Deadlines each year: September 3 & March 3 $250 for NCFR members; $350 for non- members Graduates of NCFR-approved programs do not need to take the CFLE exam

Abbreviated Application Process Graduates of NCFR-approved academic programs can apply for provisional certification through an 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 Complete within two years of graduation

Abbreviated Application Process Checklist No submission deadline, apply anytime. $75 fee for NCFR members, $105 for non- members

Provisional Certification Provisional Certification is intended for applicants who have met the academic requirements of the CFLE designation. Provisional CFLE’s upgrade to Full certification status after they have completed 2 years of Family Life Education work experience.

Benefits of Abbreviated Process You save $$! It is less expensive and less time intensive to apply under the Abbreviated Process! No submission deadline; applications are accepted at any time Provisional CFLEs can upgrade to Full certification after earning two year’s experience in family life education

Step by Step Application Process

Congratulations! You have completed the first step to certification. You are attending an approved school. Access NCFR’s comprehensive website. Go to the CFLE section of the site. Go to Abbreviated Application Process Go to CFLE Abbreviated Application Letter and Form

Print the Abbreviated Application Letter and Form Go to NCFR Approved Academic Programs Scroll down the list of approved schools until you locate your school. Click on the checklist for your school. PRINT the checklist

It Pays to Plan Ahead... Consult the checklist as you plan your coursework within your major.

Graduation!! Submit: An Official Transcript A Completed Checklist The Application Fee

What about Substitutions? 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 Substance Area #3)

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

What if I Transferred Classes? NCFR accepts transferred classes from both approved and unapproved schools (e.g. If you took Human Sexuality at an unapproved school it probably covered the required content).

Avoid the Most Frequent Mistakes.. Submit an OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT (not a copy) Official Transcript must show DEGREE COMPLETION. Substitute no more than 2 classes. Be sure they cover the required content area. Become an NCFR member (It saves you money)

Further Questions? Please feel free to contact Dawn Cassidy at NCFR for any of your questions, concerns, or comments. Dawn can be reached at or toll-free at

The Ten CFLE Content Areas

10 Family Life Content Areas Families in Society 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 Family Life Education Methodology PLUS… Academic Internship

1. Families in Society 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 SFL 370 OR 354

2. Internal Dynamics of Families Internal social processes Communication Conflict management Normal family stresses Family crises Special needs in families SFL 160

3.Human Development over the Life Span Prenatal Infancy Early and middle childhood Adolescence Adulthood Aging SFL 210 AND 334

4. Human Sexuality Reproductive physiology Biological determinants Aspects of sexual involvement Sexual behaviors Sexual values and decision-making Family planning Sexual response Sexual dysfunction Influence on relationships HLTH 436

5. Interpersonal Relationships Self and others Communication skills Intimacy Love Romance Relating to others SFL 335 PLUS: SFL 223 OR SFL 224 OR SFL 325 (formerly 329)

6. Family Resource Management Goal-setting & decision-making Development & allocation of resources Social environment influences Life cycle and family structure influences Consumer issues and decisions SFL 260

7.Parent Education and Guidance Parenting rights and responsibilities Parenting practices/processes Parent-child relationships Variation in parenting solutions Changing parenting roles over the life cycle SFL 240

8. Family Law and Public Policy Family and the law Family and social services Family and education Family and the economy Family and religion Policy and the family SFL 461 OR 489

9. Professional Ethics Ethics of Professional Practice Formation of values Diversity of values in pluralistic society Examining ideologies Social consequences of value choices Ethics and technological change SFL 480 OR 498

10. Family Life Education Methodology Planning and implementing Evaluation Education techniques Sensitivity to others Sensitivity to community concern SFL 498

11. Academic Internship What is an internship? –A work related experience dealing with the family in a variety of settings which is enhanced by course work and results in academic credit. yu.edu/ yu.edu/ SFL 399R