Family and Consumer Sciences

	The Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum supports the development of the knowledge and skills that students need to create strong families.

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) education focuses on the individual, the family, and the community. This academic discipline starts with the understanding that families, as the fundamental unit of society, are responsible for nurturing their members. Family experiences, therefore, can determine who a person is and what a person becomes. Working within that basic premise, the Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum supports the development of the knowledge and skills that students need to create strong families.

FCS students learn how to share responsibilities inside and outside of the home. As they become aware of the individuals, families, and communities that are part of their lives, students learn to embrace diversity. Students are also encouraged to strengthen their intellectual development.

The Curriculum
The content of the curriculum in the middle and high schools is geared to standards-based learning through performance-based assessment.

Family and Consumer Sciences 6-8
Our middle school curriculum is required of all students. This curriculum introduces students to basic topics in family and consumer sciences, including foods, sewing, and life skills. Students may then choose to expand on their knowledge by taking electives in high school.

In the 2004-05 school year, we will be introducing the Quilts for Kids Program in our middle school sewing classes. Quilts for Kids, Inc., is a national non-profit organization that uses discontinued designer fabrics to make quilts for children who have life-threatening illnesses or are suffering from abuse. West Chester students who participate in this program will learn the basic sewing skills needed to create a quilt while utilizing the department’s state-of-the-art sewing machines. The end product will be quilts that will be donated to children in need of love and support from the community. In that way, the program will reinforce the FCS Department’s emphasis on the importance of community.

Family and Consumer Sciences 9-12
Our courses are currently undergoing a review and evaluation process. Our goal is to improve and update the course selections available to students.

Courses in family and consumer sciences on the high school level are all electives. We currently offer foods and nutrition classes that emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle. In these classes, students view culinary demonstrations and practice the skills they have observed in the foods laboratory. Our child development program provides the opportunity for students to observe and work with preschool children within the community. Life skills, such as balancing a checkbook and purchasing a home, are taught in our independent living classes. Fashion design classes cover the past, present and future of this industry and enable students to explore career opportunities.

Through a partnership with our elementary schools, our students are able to explore the teaching profession. This partnership is part of our School-to-Work Program, which combines school-based learning with on-the job instruction.

With the completion of the district’s secondary schools’ expansion and renovations project, we will be moving into new facilities. As that occurs, our department will be able to offer a new and expanded high school curriculum. Two new courses – professional baking and professional culinary arts – will be offered in our new commercial kitchens. A healthy lifestyles class will examine individual dietary lifestyles and fitness routines. A “Mature Life Style for the Aging Adult” course will be added to our off-site opportunities. This new course, part of the School-to-Work Program, will allow students to explore working with the elderly as a possible career choice.