American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
Encyclopedia
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) is an American
professional association that networks professionals in the area of family and consumer science
. It was founded in 1909 as the American Home Economics Association by Ellen H. Richards
. In 1994 it changed it name to the current one.
The association started with about 800 members and grew to over 50,000 by the mid-1960s. By the mid-1990s membership had fallen below 25,000 and by 2001, it was just over 13,000. Membership continued to decline, and by 2008 was just over 7,000.
The association currently acts as a professional network
primarily for professors and teachers of home economics and related cources, but also includes large numbers from government, business and non-profit
organizations.
AAFCS is one of the five organizations that form the Consortium of Family Organizations. While not having its own political action committee, it recommends the "Vocational Political Action Committee"; and in 1985, the AAFCS joined the Home Economics Public Policy Council (HEPPC) which does engage in legislative action.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional association that networks professionals in the area of family and consumer science
Family and consumer science
Family and consumer sciences is an academic discipline that combines aspects of social and natural science. Family and consumer sciences deals with the relationship between individuals, families, and communities, and the environment in which they live...
. It was founded in 1909 as the American Home Economics Association by Ellen H. Richards
Ellen Swallow Richards
Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards was the foremost female industrial and environmental chemist in the United States in the 19th century, pioneering the field of home economics. Richards graduated from Westford Academy...
. In 1994 it changed it name to the current one.
The association started with about 800 members and grew to over 50,000 by the mid-1960s. By the mid-1990s membership had fallen below 25,000 and by 2001, it was just over 13,000. Membership continued to decline, and by 2008 was just over 7,000.
The association currently acts as a professional network
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
primarily for professors and teachers of home economics and related cources, but also includes large numbers from government, business and non-profit
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
organizations.
AAFCS is one of the five organizations that form the Consortium of Family Organizations. While not having its own political action committee, it recommends the "Vocational Political Action Committee"; and in 1985, the AAFCS joined the Home Economics Public Policy Council (HEPPC) which does engage in legislative action.
Awards
- National Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher of the Year Award, annually for outstanding educational programs
- Borden Award, annually for research in nutrition
- Ruth O'Brien Project Grants, periodically for development of research in family and consumer science
- AAFCS fellowships awarded to graduate students in family and consumer science
- Atwater International fellowship to non-American graduate students in family and consumer science, established in 1947 and named after Helen W. AtwaterHelen W. AtwaterHelen Woodard Atwater was an American author, Home Economics specialist and the first full-time editor of the Journal of Home Economics....
Publications
- Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, a quarterly refereed professional publication, formerly the Journal of Home Economics renamed in 1994 ISSN 1082-1651
- Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, a quarterly refereed technical publication, published by SAGE PublicationsSAGE PublicationsSAGE is an independent academic publisher of books, journals, and electronic products in the humanities and social sciences and the scientific, technical, and medical fields. SAGE was founded in 1965 by George McCune and Sara Miller McCune. The company is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California,...
on behalf of the association, ISSN 1077-727X - AAFCS Action, a five times per year newsletter detailing association and member activities, established in 1974 discontinued as a paper publication in 2002
- Yearbook (American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. Education and Technology Division) from 1981 to 2001 the Education and Technology Division of AAFCS published a yearbook for home economics teachers. Beginning in 2002 it was available only in CD-ROM format. This yearbook provided valuable information to prospective housewives.