About Family & Consumer Sciences

“The learning environment for the kids at the CDC here at Chadron State College was wonderful, they got to go outside and play, and they got to ask questions that they would find the answers to. They learned about the weather, math and social skills. I think that the CDC is a wonderful place to have a child spend his/her time when they are younger and want to explore the world.”

FCS and Health Teacher

" Chadron State College provided me with a solid foundation to build my teaching career. Not only did I develop professional relationships with my instructors at CSC, but I also developed personal relationships that have lasted for many years. I am impressed with how the FCS program has continued to develop to provide many varied opportunities for the students who have pursued a major in Family and Consumer Sciences at Chadron State College. I appreciate the continued support the college has provided. I had the opportunity to lead a Science and Our Food Supply workshop supported by the FDA at Chadron State College in the spring of 2016. After being selected as one of the participants in the FDA training in Washington, D.C., I was able to share the curriculum with fellow FCS teachers. The faculty at CSC made it possible for me to use the facilities to present the one-day training.”

The mission of the Family and Consumer Sciences academic program is to engage students in learning the theories and practicing the professional skills needed to empower individuals and families throughout the lifespan to manage the challenges of living and working in a complex world.

Students in this program will develop knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes so they will be able to:

• Analyze factors which contribute to the development of healthy individuals throughout the lifespan (conception through old age).
• Analyze nutrition and life course choices which influence lifespan wellness.
• Assess the relationship between managing resources (time, energy, money) and achieving personal or family goals.
• Apply critical and creative thinking skills in addressing individual and family problems and issues in diverse environments.
• Describe the physical, emotional, mental and social development of children.
• Illustrate the role food, clothing, and shelter play in individual and family consumerism and resource management.
• Summarize the history of the FCS profession as well as the multiple career paths available to FCS graduates.
• Demonstrate the ability to use knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes in a professional work experience.

• Child and Family Studies
  • Focus areas for Child and Family Studies Option
    • Child Studies Focus
    • Family Studies Focus
• Design and Merchandising
• Public Health and Human Services
  • Focus Areas for Public Health and Human Services Option
    • Health Services Focus
    • Gerontology Focus
• Nutrition and Wellness
• Family and Consumer Sciences Education
• Bachelor of Science - Education - Early Childhood Inclusive Field Endorsement (Birth through Grade 3) - (Dual listed with Education)
  • Professional Education
  • Early Childhood Inclusive Endorsement
  • Professional Year Courses
    • Semester #1 - Block
    • Semester #2 - Teacher Internship
• Supplemental Endorsement in Early Childhood Education (Age 3 through Grade 3)
• Area of Concentration
  • Early Childhood Education
• Minors in Family and Consumer Sciences
  • Child and Family Studies
  • Nutrition and Wellness
  • Textiles and Fashion
  • Gerontology
  • Hospitality

• Food Editor
• Consumer Education Specialist
• Restaurant Owner/Manager
• Cooperative Extension Educator
• Food Technologist
• Curriculum Specialist
• Family Advocate
• Family Service Worker
• Early Childhood Educator
• Head Start, Early Head Start
• Advertising and Retail Sales
• Family Life Educator
• Family Life Specialist
• Social Caseworker
• Food Service Manager
• Child or Youth Counselor
• Apparel, Design, Industrial, or Textile Engineer
• Lifespan Wellness Educator
• Consultant Services

• Working with children and families
• Education and life teaching skills
• Design principles and merchandising
• Marketing and management
• Food production and management of resources
• Service to families and communities
• Program planning
• Public relations
• Retail sales
• Interior decorating
• Children of all ages
• Good health

…and improving the world they live in.

The Ethel Delzell Family and Consumer Sciences Association is affiliated with the Nebraska Family and Consumer Sciences Association and the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences which is presently located in Alexandria, Virginia.
The club's name is in honor of Ethel Delzell, who was born in 1888 and graduated from Lexington High School in 1904. She attended what is now the University of Nebraska in Kearney for two years and also at Nebraska Wesleyan University where she received her degree in Home Economics in 1912. Delzell joined the faculty at Chadron State College in 1912 when the college was only two years old. She served the college as a professor of Home Economics for 32 years and became the head of the department. She retired in 1944 and died in 1946.
The club is open to anyone with a major or minor in Family and Consumer Sciences. Its purpose is to provide leadership opportunities, professional development and provide a social outlet for members.