Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE)

1
Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE)
2
Step by Step Guide to the CFLE Abbreviated
Application Process
3
Family Life Education

• Is any organized effort to
• provide family members with
• information, skills,
• experiences, or resources
• intended to strengthen,
• improve or enrich their family
• experience.

4
Operational Principles of FLE
5
Prevention

• FLE is relevant to individuals and families
• throughout the life span because
• it focuses on prevention

6
Education

• FLE takes an educational rather than therapeutic
  approach

7
Collaboration

• FLE is based on the needs of individuals and
  their families through professionals and family
  members collaborating together
• FLE is a multi-disciplinary area of study and is
• multi-professional in its practice
• FLE programs are offered in many different
  settings
• FLE presents and respects differing family values

8
Family Life Education

• 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.

9
Certification for Family Life Educators
National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)
sponsors the only program to certify family life
educators.
10
FLE Content AreasFamilies Individuals in
Societal Contexts Internal Dynamics of
FamiliesHuman Growth Development over the Life
SpanHuman SexualityInterpersonal
RelationshipsFamily Resource ManagementParent
Education and GuidanceFamily Law Public
PolicyProfessional Ethics PracticeFamily Life
Education Methodology
11
Individuals and Families in Societal Contexts

• 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

Understanding families and their relationships to
societal institutions
12
Internal Dynamics of Families

• Internal social processes
• Communication
• Conflict management
• Normal family stresses
• Family crises
• Special needs in families

Understanding family strengths and weaknesses and
how family members relate to each other
13
Human Growth Development Across the Life Span

• Prenatal
• Infancy
• Early and middle childhood
• Adolescence
• Adulthood
• Aging

Understanding the developmental changes of
individuals and families throughout the life span
14
Human Sexuality

• Reproductive physiology
• Biological determinants
• Aspects of sexual involvement
• Sexual behaviors
• Sexual values and decision-making
• Family planning
• Sexual response
• Influence on relationships

Understanding the physiological, psychological,
and social aspects of sexual development
throughout the lifespan
15
Interpersonal Relationships
Understanding of the development and maintenance
of interpersonal relationships

• Self and others
• Communication skills
• Intimacy
• Love
• Romance
• Relating to others

16
Family Resource Management

• Goal-setting decision-making
• Development allocation of resources
• Social environment influences
• Life cycle and family structure influences
• Consumer issues and decisions

• Understanding the decisions individuals and
  families make about developing and allocating
  resources, including
• time
• money and material assets
• friends and neighbors
• space

17
Parent Education Guidance
Understanding of how parents teach, guide, and
influence children and adolescents

• Parenting rights and responsibilities
• Parenting practices/processes
• Parent-child relationships
• Variation in parenting solutions
• Changing parenting roles over the life cycle

18
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

Understanding of legal issues, policies, and laws
influencing the well being of families.
19
Professional Ethics Practice

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

Understanding the character and quality of human
social conduct and the ability to critically
examine ethical questions and issues
20
FLE Methodology

• Planning and implementing
• Evaluation
• Education techniques
• Sensitivity to others
• Sensitivity to community concern

• Understanding the general philosophy and broad
  principles of family life education in
  conjunction with the ability to
• plan
• implement
• evaluate
• educational programs

21
Career 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.
22
Where do Family Life Educators Work?
Caregiver Long Term Care Programs
Faith Communities
23
Where do Family Life Educators Work?
Marital and Pre-marital Education
24
Where do Family Life Educators Work?
Schools Educational Settings
Family Law Settings
25
Where do Family Life Educators Work?
Adoption Agencies
Curriculum Development
26
Where do Family Life Educators Work?
Emergency Preparedness
27
Where do Family Life Educators Work?
Non-profit Administration
Grant-Writing
28
Where do Family Life Educators Work?
Public Policy Settings
Medical Settings
29
Family Life Education 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
30
Benefits of CFLE Certification

• 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

31
Benefits of CFLE Certification

• 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

32
Benefits of CFLE Certification

• 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

33
Two Paths to Certification

• Completion of the CFLE Exam
• Abbreviated Application Process

34
Academic Program Review
Because NCFR has already approved your schools
course work in the 10 content areas, you qualify
to apply using the Abbreviated Application
process which saves you time and money! People
who did not graduate from an NCFR-Approved
program need to complete the CFLE Exam
35
CFLE Exam

• 150 multiple-choice questions
• Offered multiple times each year
• For Full Certification - 260 for NCFR members
  365 for non-members (fees are non-refundable)
• For Provisional Certification - 185 for NCFR
  members 290 for non-members (fees are
  non-refundable)
• Graduates of NCFR-approved programs
• do not need to take the CFLE exam.

36
Abbreviated Application Process

• 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

37
Abbreviated Application Checklist
38
Abbreviated Application Process

• Checklist
• Official transcript
• Submissions welcomed year-round
• Apply within 2 years of graduation all
  coursework must have been completed within the
  past five years.
• 105 fee for NCFR members 150 for non-members

(fees are non-refundable)
39
Provisional Certification

• Provisional Certification is intended for
  applicants who have met the academic requirements
  of the CFLE designation.
• Provisional CFLEs upgrade to Full Certification
  status once they can document a specified amount
  of work experience in family life education.
  Provisional CFLEs MUST upgrade to Full
  Certification by the end of the five year
  Provisional period.

40
FLE Work Experience Requirements
Degree Type Provisional Full If your degree is a Bachelors If your degree is a Masters 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
41
Benefits of the Abbreviated Application Process
You save money! It is less expensive and less
time intensive to apply under the Abbreviated
process! Submissions welcomed year-round you
dont have to wait for a submission
deadline. Provisional CFLEs can upgrade to Full
Certification after earning work experience in
family life education
42
Congratulations!

• You have completed the first step to
  certification. You are attending an NCFR
  CFLE-approved school!
• Heres how to apply
• Access NCFRs website www.ncfr.org
• Under CFLE Certification select Abbreviated
  Application Process
• Print the following
• Abbreviated Application Directions
• Abbreviated Application form
• Checklist from your school
• CFLE Code of Ethics

43
It Pays to Plan Ahead.

• Consult your schools checklist as you plan your
  coursework within your major.
• Keep in mind that the course requirements for the
  CFLE designation may be different than for your
  degree. You may need to take extra classes

44
What if I am missing a few classes?

• 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)
• 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.
• All coursework must have been completed within
  the past five years
• NCFR will pre-approve substitutions prior to
  submission of an Abbreviated Application

45
What if I transferred classes?
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 they were taken at another
school
46
Avoid the most frequent mistakes

• 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.
• Including coursework completed more than five
  years ago

47
Avoid the most frequent mistakes

• Not providing a syllabus for a class being used
  as a substitution for an approved class
• Thinking that you do not need a course from the
  CFLE checklist because you did not need it for
  your degree program
• Waiting more than two years after graduation to
  apply
• Not being an NCFR member. Being an NCFR member
  saves you money (You do not have to be a member
  of NCFR to be a CFLE but NCFR members pay lower
  fees)

48
Graduation!!

• Submit
• An Official Transcript Showing Degree Completion
• A Completed Checklist
• The Abbreviated Application Fee
• A signed copy of the CFLE Code of Ethics

49
Additional Information

• Once Certified, all CFLEs, Provisional and Full,
  pay a CFLE Annual fee.
• The CFLE Annual fee covers the CFLE newsletter,
  Network, the CFLE listserv, and other CFLE
  benefits
• The CFLE Annual fee is currently 65 for NCFR
  members and 90 for non-members

50
Questions?
Please feel free to contact Maureen Bourgeois at
NCFR with any questions, concerns, or comments.
Maureen can be reached at maureenbourgeois_at_ncfr.
org or by calling 888-781-9331.
51
Thank You!
National Council on Family Relations
(NCFR) www.ncfr.org info_at_ncfr.org