Inclusive Mentoring: A Tool for Developing FCS Leaders

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Family conSumer ScienceS J O U R N A L O F

2023 Volume 115 Issue 4

Inclusive Mentoring: A Tool for Developing FCS Leaders

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• Impact of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Professionals • Strategies for Increasing Financial Conversations Among Racial, Ethnic Groups • Apparel Design: Using Object-Based Learning To Inspire • Teaching Camp Addresses FCS Teacher Shortage in Texas A M E R I C A N

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14307/JFCS115.4.C2

Point of View

Assessing Your Professional Health In the last issue, I shared the platform for my role as the AAFCS Board of Directors President. One of the three key areas of my focus is on professional health.

Although we are quite aware of Debra K. Andres physical, emotional, AAFCS President and mental health, (2023–2024) professional health might be a relatively new term for a long-standing professional field. Professional health is the result of a person’s intentional learning, planning, goal-setting, and action taking that moves them forward in their career setting(s).

Much like physical health, professional health should be assessed on a regular basis. Like emotional health, it requires reflection on how we feel in relation to our work environment and achievements. Professional health is similar to mental health: it requires us to be openly and honestly introspective.

All of these areas of health work in tandem to allow us to be successful and productive professionals while balancing work and family. There are several fundamental steps you can take to develop and/or improve your professional health.

Begin with the important step of reflecting on your strengths, weaknesses, and career aspirations.

Why is this such an important first step? Much like planning for a long trip, you need to take inventory of your resources and have a clear destination in mind. You can do this in a subjective manner by

completing a personal SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis or you can take one of the many well-researched tools, such as the CliftonStrengths inventory. Either way, a concrete approach to self-assessment sets you up with a solid foundation to launch from for your next career step.

Next, consider what your career goals were when you graduated from college or completed your doctoral degree. Granted, most of us deviate from our first intentions, but reflecting on where you are now, from where you began is a valuable journey to analyze. Then, with your self-evaluation and current trajectory in mind, you will have a stronger understanding of the growth and career aspirations for the next leg of your journey. Set new short- and long-term goals.

Last, share your new goals and aspirations with colleagues and professionals you respect and look up to who also share your values and level of commitment to personal and professional health.

If they are not already there, draw them into your inner circle of support and openly ask for help, counsel, feedback, and insights. One of my close friends calls this her “personal board of directors.”

I encourage all AAFCS members to reach out to other members to help build your inner circle of support for meeting your career goals and aspirations. Ask them to proofread your research article, serve as a reference for an award, or give you feedback on a new project you are considering. Because we are a people-centered profession, I believe that FCS professionals are especially equipped to help each other in developing and maintaining professional health. Sometimes all it takes is a short email or quick text to get the support you need to reach your goals. Yet another benefit of being engaged with our professional association!

V O L. 1 1 5 - N O . 4 - 2 0 2 3 The FCS Profession: Exploring the Past, Envisioning the Future

FEATURE Mentoring: Perspectives for a Diverse FCS Profession. . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Nina Roofe Barbara Stewart Kimberley Sartain Jolie Jackson Alicia Landry

SCHOLARSHIP Early Childhood Professionals and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Look at Well-Being, Job Satisfaction, and Self-Efficacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Nancy Dayne Youngok Jung Lana Tran

PRACTICE Encouraging Money Conversations Among Black, Hispanic, and White Households: Lessons for FCS Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Portia L. Johnson Megan McCoy Kimberly Watkins Kenneth J. White Apparel Design Inspired by Object-Based Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Amber S. Williams Lacee R. Boschetto Donna M. Brown

Creating a “Say Yes to FCS” Teaching Camp To Address the Critical FCS Teacher Shortage in a Local Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Cynthia L. Miller Karen L. Alexander Kyle L. Roberson Amanda Holland Gencie Houy Melanie D. Schmitt Minerva D. Tuliao Further Thoughts on FCS and Montessori Collaboration. . . . . . . . . . 46 Sue L. T. McGregor Gail T. Ryan Longo

contents continued on p. 4

Editor Scott S. Hall, PhD, CFLE Professor of Family Studies Chair, Dept. of Early Childhood, Youth, and Family Studies Ball State University Muncie, IN

Journal Reviewers For reviewer’s affiliations visit our Web site at www.aafcs.org Frances Andrews Sue Bailey Patricia McAlister Bateman Axton Betz Detri Brech Carol Byrd-Bredbenner Dixie R. Crase Christy Crutsinger Zane D. Curry Rochelle L. Dalla Sharon Hoelscher Day Sharon DeVaney Julia Dinkins John Engel Sandra Lee Evenson Linda Fox Mary Harlan Jana Hawley Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head Tahira Hira Jacqueline M. Holland Francine Hultgren

Hazel O. Jackson Joice A. Jeffries Caryl Johnson Cynthia E. Johnson Julie Johnson Stephen R. Jorgensen Kim Kamin Kendra Kattelmann Lisa Kennon Nancy Kingsbury Tammy Kinley Pat Knaub Catherine Leslie Donna Long Rebecca P. Lovingood Jean M. Lown Patricia C. Manfredi Jennifer Martin Lynda Martin Patricia McCallister Hannah Mills Mechler Julia Miller

Bette Montgomery Tami J. Moore Lisa Moyer Barbara O’Neill Sandy Osborne Julie Parker V. Ann Paulins Janet Pope Kathleen Rees Johnny Sue Reynolds Judith Rodriquez Marilyn Rossman Jody Roubanis Mia Baytop Russell Pamela A. Schulze Leigh Southward Barbara Stewart Richard Tas Ann Vail Virginia Vincenti Sue E. Williams Jennifer Zorotovich

The Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences: (ISSN: 1082-1651) is published four times a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) by the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS), 1410 King Street, nd 2 Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314. Member subscriptions are included in AAFCS membership dues of $150, effective May 1, 2016, of which $64.50 is designated for this publication. Also effective August 1, 2018, individual nonmember subscriptions are $155 (Online only, both domestic and foreign); Institutions $330 (Online only, both domestic and foreign). No discounts for multiple-year subscriptions. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA and addi­ tional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: please send address changes to Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, AAFCS, 1410 King Street, 2nd Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314 Advertising: Contact Toni Wiese at 703-706-4606. Advertisement of a product, service, or viewpoint should not be construed as an endorsement by the Association. The opinions expressed by authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Association, its officers, or its members.

Submissions: See Guidelines for Authors at www.aafcs.org.

Indexing/Abstracting: Family Index Database, Family and Society Studies Worldwide. Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Membership and other inquiries: Main number (703) 706-4600; Fax: (703) 706-4663 email: staff@aafcs.org Copyright (c) by the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, 2023. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission. Printed in the United States of America.

Associate Editors Carol L. Anderson, PhD, CFCS College of Human Ecology Cornell University Sonja D. Koukel, PhD Professor/Extension Health Specialist Associate Department Head College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences New Mexico State University Carole J. Makela, PhD, CFCS School of Education College of Health & Human Sciences Colorado State University Kerry Renwick, PhD Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy Faculty of Education University of British Columbia

Managing Editor Debra D. Bass

AAFCS Board of Directors 2023–2024 President 2023–2024 Debra K. Andres Counselor, Immediate Past President 2023–2024 Ex-Officio Lorna Wounded Head, CFCS, CPFFE Treasurer 2023–2024 Heather Whaley, CFCS Director-at-Large 2023–2026 Michael Holman Director-at-Large 2023–2026 Margaret Jenkins Director-at-Large 2022–2025 Sharon Pate

Important Information for Readers Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences JFCS Transitioning to Online Only

AAFCS has joined many others in academic publishing by transitioning JFCS from print to online only. This began with the 113,3 issue in 2021. We are embracing this change as a catalyst for growth and sustainability and to disseminate information more rapidly and widely.

JFCS Online

Access is free to AAFCS members at www.aafcs.org

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JFCS Main Page

• View journal themes • View Submission Guidelines and Deadlines • Subscribe to JFCS • Advertise

Director-at-Large 2021–2024 Martha Ravola Director-at-Large 2021–2024 Meeshay Williams-Wheeler, CFLE Executive Director, Ex-Officio Karin Athanas

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14307/JFCS115.4.3

Point of View

Piling On Social Media Social media gets a pretty bad rap. It seems to be blamed for every societal ill, especially those related to the challenges of adolescents and young adults.

I say . . . good riddance. My negative views of social Scott S. Hall media were recently Editor reinforced during a conference presentation on in-depth research on college students’ social media use (Taylor & Nichter, 2022). After conducting numerous interviews and tracking all activity among social media accounts for one year, researchers identified some interesting tensions—if not catch 22s—­ facing many young adults (and probably adolescents).

Authenticity is heralded as a top tier virtue among younger generations. Be who you are and be proud of it. Yet, the opportunity and pressure to edit one’s posted photos is tremendous. All sorts of filtering is available to refine one’s public image.

Since everyone is doing it, you need to do it too, or you won’t stack up. But, if you overdo it, you are open to ridicule for being inauthentic or attentionseeking. Even if you choose not to airbrush your public persona, you can anger friends in the same photo for not making them look better.

Receiving indicators of approval of your posts is a powerful motivator, and some students found that posting pictures of yourself in a bikini gets much more reinforcement than more modest portrayals. It was common to find students editing or replacing a post—after discovering how little it was acknowledged—with something else sure to

please the masses. Some admitted the superficiality of it all but played along anyway. Similarly, body positivity is all the rage with implications that you should avoid self-critical observations—but oh how we love to tell you how great you look when you contort yourself in just the right way to strike a stunning pose.

Being upbeat is also an important virtue online.

Your fans are looking for an escape, some entertainment, and don’t need to be brought down by your negativity. If you focus on your problems, you risk coming across as having no real friends to go to, or that you are just seeking attention. Well, yes, we all want attention, just be sure to seek it in a way that avoids coming across as needy.

Is it any wonder that so many young people struggle with anxiety? Social media is certainly not the sole cause of youthful angst, and there is more nuance to the issues mentioned above, but I am happy to pile on. As family and consumer sciences professionals, we care about the daily lives of individuals and families, and social media is a daily phenomenon. We have opportunities to help our youth manage this important aspect of their lives. It probably needs to begin early in the life of youths. It probably needs to be heavily cultivated in families and reinforced by schools and neighbors. It probably needs the scaffolding of a broader culture that provides better alternatives for developing self-worth. That is a high bar to reach, and much of it seems beyond anyone’s control, but I think it is worth pondering. I think it is worth discussing. I think it is worth writing about and sharing in a professional journal. I have a suggestion for which one, if you are interested.

Taylor, N., & Nichter, M. (2022). A filtered life: Social media on a college campus. Routledge.

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DEPARTMENTS Point of View Assessing Your Professional Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover Debra K. Andres Piling On Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Scott S. Hall Artificial Intelligence and the Role of FCS . . . . . . 5 Karin Athanas Celebrating 100 Years of Baking Education. . . . . 6 Charlene Patton Sharon Davis Visit Ingenta Connect To View JFCS Online https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/aafcs/jfcs and to access this additional content:

Beyond the Journal News and information from AAFCS and our partners, including Goodheart-Willcox.

JFCS in Action FCS educators will find opportunities to pursue further thought and action on selected topics presented in JFCS through activities, discussions, and readings that are cross-walked to the FCS Body of Knowledge, the Family & Consumer Sciences Teacher Education Standards, and Family & Consumer Sciences National Standards 3.0.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14307/JFCS115.4.5

Point of View

Artificial Intelligence and the Role of FCS In October of 2023, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ensure this new emerging technology would be safe, secure, and trustworthy for Karin Athanas consumers in the Executive Director United States. I admit I had a very small hand in the creation of this Executive Order, having worked closely with the testing, inspection, and certification industry to develop positions, provide education, and conduct outreach to the White House and regulatory agencies on the importance of confirming the functionality, safety, and security of this technology.

What is artificial intelligence? It is software.

And that software performs functions based on algorithms designed by its makers and using data provided by the AI user. Companies are using AI to evaluate their sales data to identify the right times to approach customers. Governments are using AI to track traffic patterns to prevent accidents. Individuals are using AI to write articles and edit photographs, and they may be interacting with AI when they reach out to a company through its online chat or over the phone.

AI is already integrated into so many aspects of daily life, and most people may not realize they are interacting with AI. The trick for us as consumers is to understand how AI affects us and to use it to our benefit—not to our detriment. An example of how a company might use AI is to assist in evaluating applicants for a position. The company must review, audit, and confirm that the AI does not have a bias against candidates whose applications

include certain information. The AI is trained by the data that are provided, so if there is a bias present in the way companies hire candidates, then that bias will be reflected in the AI as well.

As an example, if a company tends to hire younger candidates, candidates from certain schools, candidates with certain names or genders, the AI will learn this when reviewing past data and will apply the same biases when reviewing applications.

Because of this, it is critical for those who use AI to understand how it works—that it is only software learning from the data it is provided, and performing a function that it has been preprogrammed to perform. If the data are bad, the output will be bad.

How does this affect family & consumer sciences (FCS) professionals and the people and communities they serve? A 2023 article in Computerworld reported that in a review of the financial sector’s use of AI, “AI still charged higher rates to Black and Latinx mortgage customers when compared [with] white ones.” This is important to know and look for when helping individuals and families understand their finances.

And if an FCS professional plans to use AI to help individuals and families budget, it’s critical that they understand the limitations and potential bias of such software.

How can FCS professionals learn more and get engaged on this topic? First, review the recent executive order to identify the ways that AI may affect you and those you help through your FCS work. Next, reach out to your local universities and government agencies to ask them what changes they may be considering to ensure that AI is safe, secure, and trustworthy. Last, encourage the individuals, families, and communities that you work with to learn more about this new technology so that they can more easily identify when they are interacting with a service or product that uses AI.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14307/JFCS115.4.6

Guest Point of View

Celebrating 100 Years of Baking Education The Home Baking Association (HBA) celebrated 100 years of baking education at its recent annual meeting in Sunriver, OR. HBA began in 1923 with the Soft Wheat Millers Association initiating a baking education and Charlene Patton promotion program.

The original association embraced home economics and continues to partner with family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals across the United States. HBA’s broadened membership (to include more baking ingredients, tools, and Sharon Davis related trade associations) and its 28 member companies and associations provides funding to support baking education, which reached 8.7 million educators in FY 23.

The mission and even the history of HBA parallels that of home economics and today’s FCS: “We teach and promote the many benefits baking provides to individuals, families, communities, entrepreneurs and careers. We offer Baking STEAM–sciences, technologies, engineering, art and math resources linked with the National FCS education standards and career and tech pathways. Above all, baking serves every level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs and our non-profit mission and resources reflect this goal.”

HBA recognizes baking educators who have implemented outstanding programs that teach youth to bake and share baking in their communities. Amy Harkey, FCS educator from Purdy, MO, received the 2023 HBA Educator Award. Her entry with her student entrepreneurship bakery

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team included the basics of baking cakes, cupcakes, and frosting and then using their marketing and business plans to sell their product.

HBA, ADM (HBA member), and the Kruse Family Foundation partnered to establish a new youth award to bring attention to youth bakers who are actively making a difference in their communities. Maddie Kruse was a smart, fun loving, kindhearted, and crafty 16-year-old whose life was needlessly cut short by a drunk driver. Violet Gowdy, age 15, from West Linn, OR, received the first HBA Bake to Give Maddie Kruse Youth award for creating a series of baking classes for children with disabilities. Harkey and Gowdy each received $1,000 and a trip to the HBA annual meeting to present their programs and meet with members.

HBA changed its leadership team with the retirement of Charlene Patton, Executive Director, and Sharon Davis, Membership and Program Director, on October 31. Patton started with HBA in 1997 and Davis in 1996. Both have FCS degrees: Patton, a graduate of Kansas State University in foods and nutrition in business, and Davis, a graduate of Iowa State University in vocational FCS Education. They co-authored the Baking with Friends book that received four national awards. As life-long career FCS professionals they have worked in home health, consumer education, FCS Extension and 4-H, FCS classrooms, test kitchens, trademark and brand development, media spokespersons, and they are authors. Their “yes” to FCS has spanned nearly 50 years each and will not end as they continue teaching and baking to benefit their families, communities, and friends. To bake to make the world a better place.

As of November 1, 2023, Christine Kirby is the new Executive Director. Kirby comes with more than 25 years of experience in marketing, agriculture, nutrition, education, leadership, and program development. Contact her at (572) 206-6007, ckirby@homebaking.org, homebaking.org.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14307/JFCS115.4.7

The value of mentorship for family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals is emphasized by inclusion in five leadership development programs offered by FCS professional organizations. The American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Leadership Academy, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Leadership Institute, Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences (CAFCS) Emerging Leaders Workshop, Board on Health & Human Sciences (BHHS) Fellows Program, and the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) Extension Leadership Conference each include mentoring content and opportunities. Each organization, whether seeking to develop emerging, current, or future leaders, includes mentoring as Nina Roofe, PhD, RDN, LD, FAND, CNWE (nroofe@uca. edu) is Chair and Professor, Nutrition and Family Sciences, at University of Central Arkansas; Barbara L. Stewart, EdD, CFCS, is Chair and Professor, Human Development and Consumer Sciences, at University of Houston in Houston, TX; Kimberley Sartain, EdD, NBCT, is Assistant Professor and FCS Education Program Director at University of Central Arkansas; Jolie Jackson, RDN, LD, is Wellness and Diabetes Educator at Conway Regional Health System in Conway, AR; Alicia Landry, PhD, RDN, LD, SNS, is Associate Professor and Dietetics and Nutrition Therapy Director at University of Central Arkansas. The University of Central Arkansas is in Conway, AR.

F E A T U R E

Mentoring: Perspectives for a Diverse FCS Profession

Nina Roofe Barbara Stewart Kimberley Sartain Jolie Jackson Alicia Landry

a tool for developing FCS leaders. Components of each, including the models applied and the curriculum offered, include elements of mentoring (see Table 1). The purpose of this analysis is to examine perspectives on mentoring in FCS education and the profession, especially for women of color (WOC), as illuminated by the extant literature and the lived experiences of FCS students.

Inclusive Mentoring Beyond the generalized value for all family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals, special attention is merited to examine not only the benefits, but also the challenges of mentoring for minority professionals, including women of color (WOC). Successful individuals often credit their accomplishments to the guidance of a mentor.

Mentorship has lasting impact on the success of professionals; indeed, the passing of knowledge and skills better prepares individuals for roles of leadership throughout their careers. Yet, due to

Mentorship has lasting impact on the success of professionals.

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Face-to-face and virtual

The Leadership Challenge (curriculum, text, workbook, inventory) [Kouzes & Posner], Strengths Finder 2.0, Emotional Intelligence 2.0

12 months, 1.5 days onsite, 2–3 pre-conference virtual sessions

• Leading yourself within AAFCS • Leading others in AAFCS • Leading AAFCS

Leadership development model

Length

Abbreviated agenda

Mentoring included

New professionals with leadership goals

Mentoring format

Mentoring component

Target audience

AAFCS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

JFCS

• Transformational leadership and change management • Appreciative inquiry and leadership coaching • Ethics and leadership • Crucial conversations and communicating with influence • Leadership styles and high performing teams • Diversity of thought, managing conflict, and enabling change • Driving innovation

7 months, live virtual programs, self-directed content, coaching, ends F2F @ FNCE

Transformational leadership theory, change management, appreciative inquiry, crucial conversations, emotional intelligence

Face-to-face and virtual

Mentoring included

Current and future leaders in nutrition, health, and wellness

AND LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

• Effective leadership • Leading change in higher education • Participant’s choice, e.g., leading effective meetings, setting boundaries, appreciative coaching

1 day onsite

Theory of reflective human action, FCS Body of Knowledge, Strengths Finder 2.0, Emotional Intelligence 2.0

Face-to-face and virtual

Mentoring included

Emerging administrators in higher education

CAFCS EMERGING LEADERS WORKSHOP

Table 1. Comparison of Five Professional Leadership Development Programs

• Monthly peer-mentoring sessions • “Critical Friends” quarterly mentor and mentee cohort meetings • Twice per year opportunities to attend the APLU BHHS meeting and the joint BHHS/CAFCS meeting

24 months

Near-peer mentoring model, project-based learning through leadership projects

Face-to-face and virtual

Mentoring included

Emerging department chairs and deans in the Human Sciences

BHHS FELLOWS PROGRAM

Table 1 continued on page 9

• 4-H, food, nutrition, financial management • Child development, parenting • Health, sustainable living • Teaching methods, committee leadership

4 days onsite

The Leadership Experience (mentoring, networking, True Colors, Leadership Style Indicator)

Face-to-face and virtual

Mentoring included

Extension agents, FCS professionals

NEAFCS EXTENSION LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g t h e

Every other year

$200 + travel, AAFCS conference

PDUs are available for those with the CFCS credential

https://www.aafcs.org/ about/groups/leadershipacademy

How often

Cost

CEU/PDUs

Link

AAFCS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

https://www. eatrightpro.org/ practice/professionaldevelopment/face-toface-learning/academyleadership-institute

20+ CEUs for RDNs, NDTRs

$2900, includes FNCE conference and travel

TBD

AND LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

https://www.webcafcs. org/

0

$200 + travel, BHHS/ CAFCS conference

Every 3 years

CAFCS EMERGING LEADERS WORKSHOP

Table 1. Comparison of Five Professional Leadership Development Programs (continued)

Table 1 continued from page 8

https://www.aplu.org/ members/commissions/ food-environment-andrenewable-resources/ board-on-humansciences/bohsleadership-fellows-andawards/bohs-awards. html

0

Free. Fellows are granted $4,000 to support their leadership project and their travel to the national conferences listed above.

Yearly

BHHS FELLOWS PROGRAM

https://www.neafcs. org/assets/2022/ NEAFCS_2022_Program_ WEB3_wcover.pdf

Varies. CEUs and PDUs are available from AAFCS, AFCPE, NCFR.

$475 + travel, does not include pre-conference workshops or in-depth sessions

Yearly

NEAFCS EXTENSION LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

F u t u re • T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g

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T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g t h e the lack of diversity in the field of FCS, a mentor of the same ethnicity as the mentee may not be available; when that is the case, people of color may struggle to connect with their mentor.

Although the mission of the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) is, “To provide leadership and support for professionals whose work assists individuals, families, and communities in making informed decisions about their well-being, relationships, and resources to achieve optimal quality of life” (AAFCS, 2020), the lack of diversity in FCS is a concern for current and future professionals.

There are currently more than 6,500 FCS secondary teachers employed in the United States.

The majority are White (75%) and women (87.5%) (Cross, 2016). In many U.S. public school districts, a more diverse teacher representation of racial identity is needed to represent the student body, connect cultures, reduce implicit bias, and set expectations for diversity. The need to recruit and prepare more students of color who wish to become FCS educators is essential, not only because the percentage of representation is low, but also, as Carver-Thomas (2018) reported, 19% of teachers of color leave the profession annually, compared to 15% of White teachers.

A similar trend is seen in some of the specialty areas of FCS such as dietetics. Evelyn Crayton (2015), the first African American president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), stated that African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and men compose only 3%, 4%, 5%, and 3% of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) in the U.S., respectively, while the U.S. population is progressively becoming more diverse. Crayton (2015) expressed that healthcare professionals who serve patients or clients also should be diverse. Furthermore, researchers predict that non-Hispanic Whites will be a minority in the U.S. by the year 2060 (Colby & Ortman, 2015). This supports the need for FCS professionals in dietetics—and in all FCS areas—to recruit and retain individuals of varying ethnic and racial backgrounds (Arnett, 2012).

Yet there is progress. From 2001 to 2008, there was an increase in ethnically diverse university students in dietetics as compared to the period 1993

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to 2000 (Bergman, 2013). However, anecdotal data suggest that although student diversity is increasing, minority faculty comprise a lower percentage than that of the student body at universities granting degrees in nutrition and dietetics. This limits the number of persons of color available as faculty mentors for students.

In the field of medicine, the situation is similar to that of dietetics: the American Association of Medical Colleges revealed that only 6% of the medical school faculty are minorities (Stein, 2012).

Diverse educational environments can have a positive impact on students’ learning and training within the healthcare arena (including dietetics) (Thomas, 2014). Even given the benefits of diverse educational environments, however, the increase in diversity may not be sufficient. McLaughlin et al. (2016) reported that diversity has not significantly increased from past periods.

Although generally a low proportion of minority FCS educators to students hinders mentoring opportunities, some examples of progress exist.

For example, the ability of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to lessen the obstacles for students of all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds is attributed to having ethnically diverse faculty, mentoring, and academic support (Smith et al., 2021). Additionally, virtual peer mentoring was identified by Rockinson-­ Szapkiw et al. (2021) as effective for WOC due to the removal of the geographic barrier some may encounter.

Even though mentorship opportunities for WOC in FCS are identified as effective tools for mitigating barriers and increasing success in education and employment settings, the profession is still mostly White, although the demographics are changing (Arnett-Hartwick, 2017; Wynn et al., 2017). This suggests that currently there is not an abundance of mentoring opportunities for WOC by WOC in FCS education and the profession.

Mentoring Perspectives: Interviews With WOC Exploration of ways to increase mentoring opportunities for minorities in FCS education and other professional settings is merited, and there is

F u t u re • T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g potential for improvements. For comparison with the extant literature on mentoring for persons of color, four in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the lived experience of WOC in FCS in their roles as undergraduate students in a southern U.S. state. The focus of these qualitative interviews was to view, in personal terms, the perspectives of students on the opportunities and barriers to engaging in mentorship relationships.

The interviews gave voice to individualized experiences as first recorded, then the recordings were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic recognition coding protocol. Selected perspectives and responses are shared in two categories (education and employment) for clarity in the context of the literature. Table 2 depicts the profiles of those interviewed. It should be noted that although participants had either or both WOC and White mentors at school, all also reported that they had WOC in their home or personal environments whom they considered to be mentors.

Education: Identifying Barriers and Increasing Mentoring Opportunities The literature reports that students who enroll in classes with teachers from similar backgrounds— or who are exposed to multicultural activities in those classrooms—perform better due to more multicultural awareness and instructional support (Carver-Thomas, 2018; Cherng & Davis, 2019).

According to the Cross (2016), diverse educators become positive role models, help prepare students to live and work in a multiracial society, and help other teachers understand culturally sensitive teaching practices. This supports the need for diversity among FCS teachers, both at the secondary and higher education levels (Cross, 2016; Werhan, 2013). Currently in the U.S., the typical FCS

education student is a Caucasian female who has strong connections with the FCS curriculum or an FCS teacher, or both (Arnett-Hartwick, 2017).

The lack of diversity among secondary and higher education FCS teachers has prompted researchers to take a closer look at the programming and practices of teacher education programs that struggle to recruit and retain a diverse student body to become the leaders and mentors of the future (Arnett, 2012; Rodriguez, 2021).

Each of the four women interviewed had a mentor of the same race while they were college students, and they felt this racial match had an impact on their mentor/mentee relationship. One of them stated, “I feel like instead of race, it’s that we share the same culture. Sharing the same culture, we have more in common and feel more comfortable. You need people who are close to you as your friend and mentor.”

One participant shared her student classroom experiences as a woman of color. She stated that she felt she was challenged more because she was not a strong writer. She shared a story about how her faculty mentor encouraged her to get an editor and how she still uses an editor today.

This encouragement from her mentor gave her the courage and confidence to seek that support and not feel embarrassed to ask for help. Other positive experiences described include forming relationships with college professors, receiving recommendation letters from professors, service-learning experiences in college, attending professional conferences, and serving as a department ambassador. One noted that although her professors, other than her mentor of the same race, tried to be culturally aware, they often “missed the mark.” However, she commented that she appreciated their effort.

Table 2. Interview Participant Profiles

Participant 1 Participant 2 Participant 3 Participant 4

FCS STUDENT

INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT WOC

PARTICIPANT HAD WOC MENTOR

PARTICIPANT HAD WHITE MENTOR

PLANNED FUTURE PROFESSION

Yes undergraduate Yes undergraduate Yes undergraduate Yes undergraduate

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes

No No Yes Yes

FCS FCS FCS FCS

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T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g t h e Mentoring in the Secondary and Higher Education Pipeline The literature indicates that secondary teachers of color are being recruited, but there still are not enough to meet the needs of school districts, and more importantly, the students within the schools.

This affects the pipeline of secondary FCS students becoming FCS college students. Barriers to college recruitment and retention identified by Carver-Thomas (2018) include lack of support and preparation in K-12, obstacles in completing college, financial burden, and quality of teacher education programs. To increase the number of teachers of color in both secondary and higher education, intentional preparation, hiring, support systems, and initiatives must be in place. Despite these challenges, diversity among FCS teachers can have a positive impact on student experiences and outcomes as revealed in the lived experience of the interview participants.

regular continuing education for faculty and FCS professionals on racism and diversity. Suggestions for specific course content recommended by those interviewed were that the curriculum be aimed at increasing cultural awareness and include cultural meals, food expos, international textile fashion shows, reflective journaling, and study abroad.

One participant’s input reflected her value of the roots and holistic approach of FCS:

To increase the number of teachers of color in both secondary and higher education, intentional preparation, hiring, support systems, and initiatives must be in place.

Understanding the role of socioeconomic status in education is another critical component of multiculturalism and is related to the need for and ability to achieve positive mentoring experiences.

In the area of family support, the interviewees identified verbal encouragement, financial support, and the excitement of their family as sources of encouragement. Participants spoke about being first-generation college students and noted that their families may not have understood what their challenges were, but that they tried to understand and support them in any way they could. They also identified their church family, scholarships, and teachers as sources of support. Davis (2020), a university president, during a faculty convocation similarly expressed the need for support from family and others as supporters and mentors. He said that students may not look like they are struggling financially but they are “one flat tire away from dropping out of school.”

Due to the nature of the FCS classroom, both in secondary and higher education, cultural awareness can easily be incorporated into food labs, clothing, and textiles courses as well as family relationships, parenting issues, and resource management courses. The interviewees offered concrete suggestions when asked what it will take to make FCS a more inclusive and diverse field.

Their suggestions included having more WOC in higher academic and national leadership positions, being more inviting to African American students from junior high through college by making the content relevant, intentionally creating opportunities to share multiple cultures, and providing

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Make it more inviting to students who are African American. Family and consumer sciences is not just about cooking. It is about keeping the family together and stabilizing the foundation of the family. FCS has evolved into so many disciplines we often forget the foundation. The disciplines under the umbrella of FCS still hold today. These areas are very relevant. It should be available from junior high to college in all states. Everyone needs to know the FCS basics. FCS taught us how to budget, sew, cook, design, and most of all the importance of family.

Employment Realities: Interplay With Educational Experience Interview responses in the context of the literature also are reported here for employment

F u t u re • T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g preparation-related mentoring barriers and opportunities. Mentorship has an impact on employment success from the standpoints of job accessibility, job satisfaction, job effectiveness, promotion success, and pay scale. Diversity plays a role in making education, the workforce, and universities accessible to all. Barriers to diversity in both education and the workplace include implicit bias, stereotyping and threats, and microaggressions (O’Leary et al., 2020). Although efforts to end racism began decades ago, systemic struggles still exist and remain a serious threat to the success of people of color. Intentional mentoring is shown to have positive impact both in academic and workplace settings.

Although efforts to end racism began decades ago, systemic struggles still exist and remain a serious threat to the success of people of color.

A study by Payne et al. (2013) documented an increase in diversity among highly educated workers who worked more hours per week and earned higher salaries. This is attributed to a form of mentoring referred to as coworker networks and the impact of worker-directed teams, all of which affect job satisfaction. The FCS-related field of healthcare, for example, shows that diversity education (McLaughlin et al., 2016) and mentorship of providers can positively affect public health outcomes (job effectiveness), including health disparities and health literacy (Lie et al., 2012) as well as healthcare inequality (Zhu, 2017). Etowa and Debs-Ivall (2017) address the fact that staff nurses and nurse aides who identify as minorities are either well-represented or overrepresented.

Yet, for higher-level positions, among those who identify as minorities, only 9% were managers and 8% were head nurses (Etowa & Debs-Ivall, 2017).

Specialization in nursing faces similar struggles. In 2017, only 10% of the 52,000 practicing certified

registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) in the U.S. identified as individuals of color (Kilburn et al., 2019). This is important to note because FCS professionals educate individuals, families, and communities to be informed consumers of healthcare in medical insurance and related financial literacy topics; they also educate future healthcare providers such as Registered Dietitian Nutritionists and nurses who take courses in nutrition in FCS departments.

When asked what made them want to enter the FCS field, two of the interview participants pointed to childhood experiences and one pointed to a college experience. Of the two who mentioned childhood experiences, one referred to participating in sports and athletics and the role nutrition played in her success. The other spoke of how she enjoyed art and design as a child. The participant who pointed to her college experience spoke of how inviting the FCS department was and how that made her want to be a part of this profession so she could, in turn, show interest in other students. Negative classroom experiences shared by participants included that they do not remember many, if any, textbooks, case studies, or reading assignments with people of color included in the reading assignments. This made them feel invisible and of lesser value, especially when they were younger. However, they said they were accustomed to this by the time they got to college.

The fourth participant spoke of the community outreach opportunities that drew her to the FCS profession and specifically the opportunities to interact with a wide variety of people from all walks of life. These reflections serve as reminders of how mentors in FCS teacher education settings can impress upon their mentees the importance of taking time to learn about students’ backgrounds, making classrooms and offices inviting, reviewing and selecting textbooks with diversity and inclusive pedagogy, and embedding service-learning opportunities into courses where appropriate.

Employment preparation in higher education is also affected by mentorship whereby the training of future FCS professionals, including future dietitians, is usually done by White, female faculty. In 2017, only 9% of RDNs and nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered (NDTR)

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T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g t h e were non-White (Wynn et al., 2017). That study identified needed supports including the need for mentoring, faculty and peer support, financial support, and fairness of the supervised application and selection process. Barriers included the high cost of dietetic internship programs, family obligations, inability to relocate for supervised practice, feelings of strict standards of preceptors, and difficulty finding employment as an RDN (Wynn et al., 2017). Although not strictly a mentoring example, the value of family support was expressed in one interview as a participant reported feeling like giving up at one point during her college career preparation, but her family, children, and her “inner-knowing” kept her going. She stated, “I realized, it’s not really about me, it’s about who’s coming behind me. I’ve made leeway. I’m a trailblazer for my community and others . . . my children, my family . . . my inner knowing is that this is my road to walk. No one else.”

One of the most effective peer mentoring strategies discussed

by Besnilian et al. (2016) is “peer mentoring circles,” whereby experienced RDNs mentor novice RDNs.

These supports and barriers are echoed in other professions including medical school, clinical social work, and nursing (Burt et al., 2019).

Incorporating diversity in universities can be accomplished by fostering cross-racial interaction (Park et al., 2019), culturally diverse mentorships (Womack et al., 2020), and intentional efforts to recruit and retain students and faculty of color.

The need for the racial profile of RDNs to better align with that of the demographics being served has been identified in the literature (White & Beto, 2013). The field of psychology has faced similar challenges in recruiting graduate students for school psychology programs (Grapin et al., 2015).

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An effort to increase national awareness in the U.S. is the “I Am Psyched!” national tour, which is a traveling display of notable women of color in the field of psychology (American Psychological Association, 2019). Specific to dietetics, Bergman (2013) sheds light on recruitment strategies RDNs have used so far, which include becoming knowledgeable about diverse cultures and long-term mentoring. One of the most effective peer mentoring strategies discussed by Besnilian et al. (2016) is “peer mentoring circles,” whereby experienced RDNs mentor novice RDNs. Post-Education Mentoring: Planning for a Diverse Future for FCS In addition to secondary and higher education mentorships, the future of FCS as a profession can be enhanced via the development of mentoring relationships. Succession planning is not a major component of this paper; however, it is important for the future of the profession and involves intentional thinking about the future. Whether this is management succession at a place of business or the board of directors in a professional organization, succession planning involves an investment in building relationships and growing the culture and leaders of tomorrow. AAFCS, AND, the CAFCS, the BHHS Fellows Program, and the NEAFCS all have leadership training programs for their members and each program incorporates mentoring.

The FCS-related leadership development programs, although similar, differ in target audience, leadership development model, length, agenda, frequency of offering, cost, and CEU/PDU offerings, as depicted in Table 1.

Although each is distinct, all five programs include mentoring. This indicates a unified value for the importance of mentoring in leadership development and succession planning. Inherent in FCS mentoring is coaching those less experienced through the gray areas of academia, administration, management, and professional roles. Successful mentoring programs include deliberate actions of those in charge who value mentorship and the results it produces. Setting clear boundaries and expectations and holding others accountable often can be tricky, especially for new leaders. Setting new employees and professionals up for success,

F u t u re • T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g especially within an educational tenure-track appointment, requires a strategic approach. Navigating interprofessional gray areas can lead to ethical conundrums at times. All of these are situations ripe for mentoring conversations (Gunsalus, 2021). The five FCS programs shown in Table 1 include mentoring as part of the leadership development process for these reasons. Each program serves to invest in and grow future FCS leaders and emphasizes the role of mentoring in professional development. Likewise, individual employers utilize mentoring programs and leadership development workshops for the same purpose (Al Suwaidi et al., 2020).

Application and Directions Mentoring opportunities for WOC in FCS are valued and yet they are lacking. Increasing mentorship opportunities for these professionals starts with identifying and mitigating barriers to the education and employment of minorities in FCS professions. A multi-phase approach that includes research, teaching, employment, and intentional professional succession planning can have an impact.

Current research identifying the benefits of mentorship is often focused on the perspective of the mentee, but mentors also benefit from these relationships.

Current research identifying the benefits of mentorship is often focused on the perspective of the mentee, but mentors also benefit from these relationships. Morales et al. (2017) identified factors that both enable and constrain faculty motivation to mentor students. Mentees in educational settings who benefit from faculty mentorships also provide value to their mentors. As mentees develop teaching skills, use evidence-based practice, gain enhanced research and writing skills, and secure psychosocial support such as coping

with stress, trust, willingness to be vulnerable, and friendships (Shaobing et al., 2018), they, in turn, benefit and encourage their mentors in a positive feedback loop. Faculty and employees can link such mentorship experience to promotion and advancement opportunities as further incentives to participate in employee mentoring programs.

Mentor awards and employee evaluation rubrics that include mentoring can monetize this service and reward the time and effort that goes into quality mentoring.

Future Directions for Research Research indicates a need for FCS professionals, RDNs, and faculty in higher education to demographically match the nation’s demographic profile as reflected in the student body of their institutions and the clients they serve (Andersen et al., 2018). Qualitative research has increased awareness of the lack of diversity in dietetics and FCS professions, but further research is needed to explore the prevalence and long-term impact of the issue as well as to identify and test effective strategies to increase diversity in these professions.

If published research addressing the lack of diversity continues to accumulate without intervention studies, then the lack of diversity in dietetics and nutrition, FCS, and FCS education will remain unchanged.

Lack of diversity in the field, as well as other factors, affects the availability of mentors who match the profiles of emerging professionals.

These factors, including lack of diversity and other barriers to mentorship, need critical examination.

For example, Morales et al. (2017) found that time constraints were a major reason for mentors not to participate in a mentorship with research students, yet there are no studies that look at the impact of time constraints on this relationship. There is a need to gather information and create instruments to test for effective interventions. This will help to inspire and recruit individuals to serve as mentors, thus diversifying the mentor pool. Increasing the representation of minority individuals increases the chance of underrepresented populations succeeding professionally which, in turn, can have a positive impact on the lives professionals touch. The ripple effect of increasing mentoring

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T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g t h e opportunities for women of color in FCS professions can be profound.

The Future of the Profession Increasing mentoring opportunities for WOC not only will serve the needs of both FCS students and professionals but also is essential for the future of the profession. This can ensure a future pipeline of qualified and trained leaders who know the profession’s goals and are experienced with its culture (Al Suwaidi et al., 2020). As leaders retire, a formal strategic plan should be in place to fill FCS leadership roles on professional boards, committees, and in the workplace. This applies to professional organizations and employment settings (Conger & Fulmer, 2003). Five professional organizations in the FCS field have taken the initiative to offer leadership development programs (see Table 1), all of which include forms of mentoring. Most employers have mentoring programs as part of their management and human resource strategies to develop new and strengthen existing professionals in the workplace. Employers and professional organizations need to intentionally connect mentors and mentees with diversity in mind as one of the criteria (Goodwin et al., 2022) as they support employees in participating in the mentoring components of leadership development; this will help to optimize FCS human capacities both now and in the future.

References AAFCS. (2020). About us. https://www.aafcs.org/about/ about-us Al Suwaidi, M., Jabeen, F., Stachowicz-Stanusch, A., & Webb, M. (2020). Determinants linked to executive succession planning in public sector organizations. Vision, 24(3), 284–299. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972262920932405 American Psychological Association. (2019). I am psyched!

National tour. https://www.apa.org/pi/women/ iampsyched/about Andersen, D., Baird, S., Bates, T., Chapel, D. L., Cline, A. D., Ganesh, S. N., Garner, M., Grant, B. L., Hamilton, K. K., Jablonski, K., Jones, S. L., Kazaks, A. G., Konek, S. H., Leonard, K. K., McAdam, K. G., Ogata, B. N., Onouha, E. G., Robinson, G. Y., Schmidt, D. W., . . .

McCauley, S. M. (2018). Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Revised 2017 scope of practice for the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, 118(1), 141–165.

Arnett, S. E. (2012). Diversity needs: Preparing family and consumer sciences teachers for the 21st-century

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classroom. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, 30(2), 66–71.

Arnett-Hartwick, S. E. (2017). Profile and promotion of the family and consumer sciences teacher education student.

Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, 34(Special Edition 2), 8–17. http://www.natefacs.org/ Pages/v34se2Arnett-Hartwick.pdf Bergman, E. A. (2013). Building a brighter tomorrow: Diversity, mentoring, and the future of dietetics. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, 113(s5), S5. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2013.03.016 Besnilian, A., Goldenberg, A., & Plunkett, S. W. (2016). Promoting diversity within the dietetics profession through a peer mentorship program. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, 116(2), 198–202.

Burt, K. G., Delgado, K., Chen, M., & Paul, R. (2019). Strategies and recommendations to increase diversity in dietetics. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, 119(5), 733–738.

Carver-Thomas, D. (April, 2018). Diversifying the teaching profession: How to recruit and retain teachers of color.

Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/ 559.310 Cherng, H.-Y. S., & Davis, L. A. (2019). Multicultural matters: An investigation of key assumptions of multicultural education reform in teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 70(3), 219–236.

Colby, S. L., & Ortman, J. M. (2015). Projections of the size and composition of the U.S. population: 2014 to 2060.

Current Population Reports, P25-1143, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC. Conger, J. A., & Fulmer, R. M. (2003). Developing your leadership pipeline. Harvard Business Review, 81(12), 76–84. https://hbr.org/2003/12/developing-your-leadershippipeline Crayton, E. (2015). Diversity strengthens our academy and profession. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(10), 1559.

Cross, F. (2016, August). Teacher shortage areas nationwide listing 1990–1991 through 2016–2017. U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education. http:// www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.doc Davis, H. (2020, August 19). Faculty convocation: State of the university. University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR. Etowa, J., & Debs-Ivall, S. (2017). Leadership and organizational commitment to ethnocultural diversity in healthcare. Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research, 11(4), 277–292.

Goodwin, T. G., Laning, M. A., & Reynolds, L. M. (2022). Comradery and connection: A study of cross-cultural mentoring experiences. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 48(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2022.102596 Grapin, S. L., Lee, E. T., & Jaafar, D. (2015). A multilevel framework for recruiting and supporting graduate students from culturally diverse backgrounds in school psychology programs. School Psychology International, 36(4), 339–357.

Gunsalus, C. K. (2021). The college administrator’s survival guide. Harvard University Press.

Kilburn, F., Hill, L., Porter, M. D., & Pell, C. (2019). Inclusive recruitment and admissions strategies increase diversity

F u t u re • T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g in CRNA educational programs. American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Journal, 87(5), 375–389.

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2023). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (7th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Lie, D., Carter-Pokras, O., Braun, B., & Coleman, C. (2012).

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McLaughlin, J. E., McLaughlin, G. W., McLaughlin, J. S., & White, C. Y. (2016). Using Simpson’s diversity index to examine multidimensional models of diversity in health professions education. International Journal of Medical Education, 7, 1–5.

Morales, D. X., Grineski, S. E., & Collins, T. W. (2017).

Faculty motivation to mentor students through undergraduate research programs: A study of enabling and constraining factors. Research in Higher Education, 58(5), 520–544. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC5510551/ O’Leary, E. S., Shapiro, C., Toma, S., Sayson, H. W., Levis-Fitzgerald, M., Johnson, T., & Sork, V. L. (2020).

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Race and class beyond enrollment: The link between socioeconomic diversity and cross-racial interaction. The Journal of Higher Education, 90(5), 665–689. https://doi. org/10.1080/00221546.2018.1547032 Payne, J., McDonald, S., & Hamm, L. (2013). Production teams and producing racial diversity in workplace relationships. Sociological Forum, 28(2), 326–349. https:// onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/socf.12021 Rockinson-Szapkiw, A., Watson, J. H., Gishbaugher, J., & Wendt, J. L. (2021). A case for virtual STEM peer-mentoring experience for racial and ethnic minority women mentees. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 10(3), 267–383.

Rodriguez, J. (2021, July 1). Diversity in the classroom: Why representation matters. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. https://www.diverseeducation.com/opinion/ article/15109575/diversity-in-the-classroom-whyrepresentation-matters#:-:text=Representation%20 in%20the%20classroom%20matters,graduation%20 and%20higher%20dropout%20rates

Shaobing, L., Malin, J. R., & Hackman, D. G. (2018).

Mentoring supports and mentoring across difference: Insights from mentees. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 26(5), 563–584. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/13611267.2018.1561020 Smith, K. C., Geddis, D., & Dumas, J. (2021). The role of the HBCU pipeline in diversifying the STEM workforce: Training the next generation of drug delivery researchers. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 176, 113866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2021.113866.

Stein, K. (2012). The educational pipeline and diversity in dietetics. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 112(6), 791–800.

Thomas, B. (2014). College of health and health care disparities: The effect of social and environmental factors on individual and population health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(7), 7492–7507.

Werhan, C. R. (2013). Family and consumer sciences secondary school programs: National survey shows continued demand for FCS teachers. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 105(4), 41–45.

White, J. H., & Beto, J. A. (2013). Strategies for addressing the internship shortage and lack of ethnic diversity in dietetics. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, 113(6), 771–775.

Womack, V. Y., Wood, C. V., House, S. C., Quinn, S. C., Thomas, S. B., McGee, R., & Byars-Winston, A. (2020).

Culturally aware mentorship: Lasting impacts of a novel intervention on academic administrators and faculty.

PLOS ONE, 15(8), 1–17. https://journals.plos.org/ plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0236983 Wynn, C. L., Raj, W., Tyus, F., Greer, Y. D., Batheja, R. K., Rizwana, Z., & Hand, R. K. (2017). Barriers to and facilitators of dietetics education among students of diverse backgrounds: Results of a survey. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(3), 449-468. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.06.010 Zhu, L. (2017). “Healing alone?”: Social capital, racial diversity, and health care inequality in the American States.

American Politics Research, 45(6), 1059–1087.

Additional Resources Family consumer science teacher demographics and statistics in the US. (n.d.) https://www.zippia.com/ family-consumer-science-teacher-jobs/demographics/

See Appendix on page 18.

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T h e F C S P ro f e s s i o n : E x p l o r i n g t h e P a s t , E nv i s i o n i n g t h e Appendix A Table of Acronyms ACRONYM

COMPLETE NAME

AFCPE AAFCS AND BHHS CAFCS CEU CRNA FCS NCFR NDTR NEAFCS PDU RDN WOC

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Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Board on Health & Human Sciences Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences Continuing Education Unit Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Family and Consumer Sciences National Council on Family Relations Nutrition and Dietetics Technician, Registered National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences Professional Development Unit Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Women of color

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14307/JFCS115.4.19

Early Childhood Education (ECE) professionals faced unprecedented challenges, including the disruption of instructional programs and routines, since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The purpose of this study was to examine the physical and psychological well-being, job satisfaction, and job-related needs of early childhood educators and administrators during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 117 diverse participants from Southern California participated in this study. Results found that ECE professionals maintained close relationships with children and families, experienced low depression, and reported high job satisfaction despite all the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Open-ended questions related to challenges and self-efficacy also were explored. This paper includes ways to support ECE teachers and administrators and their well-being and job satisfaction, under the guidelines of the Family and Consumer Sciences Body of Knowledge, as the pandemic continues.

Nancy Dayne, EdD Associate Professor Family and Consumer Sciences California State University Long Beach Long Beach, CA Nancy.dayne@csulb.edu

Youngok Jung, PhD Associate Professor Family and Consumer Sciences California State University Long Beach Long Beach, CA

Lana Tran Graduate, Master of Arts, Early Childhood Education California State University Long Beach Long Beach, CA

s c h o l A r s h i p

Early Childhood Professionals and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Look at Well-Being, Job Satisfaction, and Self-Efficacy

Early Childhood Education (ECE) administrators and educators faced many challenges prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of those challenges included high student-toteacher ratios, unclear policies, low pay, being overworked, and stress (Burstein, 2020). When the pandemic began, many centers were dealing with new challenges and regulations that they had never faced before. Centers were required to close, and many remained closed for long periods of time. As centers repopulated, there were new rules and regulations, such as smaller group sizes and increased spending on sanitation required by public health guidelines (Allvin & Hogan, 2020). These new guidelines were developed for the health and safety of children and early childhood educators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were center administrators and educators who worked tirelessly through all the updates and changes, whether it was virtually or in person. COVID-19 caused increased demands on Early Childhood educators (Eadie et al., 2021), and, as research shows, ECE professionals’ well-being, which includes mental health, work satisfaction, and quality of interactions with children, is associated with the quality of their program

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and teaching (Corr et al., 2015; Jena-Crottet, 2017; King et al., 2016; Logan et al., 2020; Smith & Lawrence, 2019). Many professionals left the field. Indeed, Page (2020) found that one out of every five teachers stated that they were unlikely to return to the field. ECE professionals who remained faced numerous challenges every day, including low compensation, stressful workloads, an unsupportive environment, difficult parents, and children with challenging behaviors (Corr et al., 2015; Jena-Crottet, 2017; Jones et al., 2017; Li & Zhang, 2019; Logan et al., 2020). Unfortunately, these stressors affected the well-being of ECE professionals and consequently led to emotional exhaustion and a high staff turnover rate (Irvine et al., 2016; Jena-Crottet, 2017; Jones et al., 2017; McMullen et al., 2020; OECD, 2019; Thorpe et al., 2020; Totenhagen et al., 2016).

In terms of job satisfaction, research shows the inextricable relationship between Early Childhood educators’ job satisfaction and the quality care of children.

In terms of job satisfaction, research shows the inextricable relationship between Early Childhood educators’ job satisfaction and the quality care of children (Gerber et al., 2007; Grant et al., 2019; Johnson et al., 2019; Whitaker et al., 2015). When teachers are satisfied with their job, there is a positive correlation with quality care, and unfortunately, the same can be true for the opposite scenario whereby when teachers are dissatisfied with their job, there may be a negative correlation with quality care (Grant et al., 2019; Kwon et al., 2020; McMullen et al., 2020; Tout, 2021). One study shows that Early Childhood educators who have more extroverted personalities have higher job satisfaction than their introverted counterparts do (Wong & Zhang, 2014). Moreover, professional status and feeling valued by society are linked to job satisfaction (Irvine et al., 2016; Logan et al., 2020; OECD, 2019). A survey by the Organisation

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for Economic Co-operation and Development (2019) found that although job satisfaction was high among ECE professionals, the participants shared that they feel more valued by their students than by society.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many ECE teachers shared the same concerns, such as personal safety, job security, increase in work overload, and work-to-family conflict (Hong et al., 2021; Sandstrom, 2022). These stressors negatively affected their job satisfaction. In another study, Early Childhood educators expressed high job satisfaction overall, but with some exceptions: the need for reduced exposure to COVID-19 exposure, the need for better work conditions, more job security, better training, and better work hours (Sandstrom, 2022).

As the field faces teacher shortages and new licensing requirements, the researchers in this study set out to look at ECE teachers and administrators and their wellbeing and job satisfaction during the pandemic and as centers repopulated.

The Current Study As the field faces teacher shortages and new licensing requirements, the researchers in this study set out to look at ECE teachers and administrators and their well-being and job satisfaction during the pandemic and as centers repopulated. This research will provide school districts, policy leaders, and family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals with a better understanding of the importance of support for Early Childhood administrators, who are working with new licensing requirements and protocols for working with young children and their families. The Family and Consumer Sciences Body of Knowledge (FCS-BOK) discusses the importance of basic human needs (Nickols et al., 2009). And even though the FCS-BOK does not

focus on ECE professionals, their overall well-being and health should be addressed because they are in a place of constant change and confusion in the workplace due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study was descriptive in nature and was designed to capture the well-being of ECE professionals during an unprecedented pandemic. The study set out to examine the following research questions: (a) What was the health and well-being of early childhood professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic? (b) What was the satisfaction with their job during the COVID-19 pandemic? (c) What do Early Childhood professionals need in terms of support from their administrators?

Method The Setting The study was conducted in Southern California where the COVID-19 pandemic closed many childcare centers and threatened the job and livelihood of ECE professionals. Upon approval of the campus Institutional Review Board, we conducted a survey of ECE professionals to inquire how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their work, mental health, and welfare between 2019 and 2020. The survey was distributed online via email through local ECE advocacy agencies in Southern California. The survey asked ECE professionals questions about their demographics, physical, mental, and financial well-being, as well as their perception of their relationship with children in closeness and conflict. There were two open-ended questions that provided rich data on the challenges that ECE professionals experienced during the pandemic and what kept them working with children and families despite all the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Participants Table 1 shows the demographic characteristics of participants (N = 117). Almost all participants were female (98%) with an average age of 43.51

years old (SD = 13.19). The participants were White (49%), with the remaining indicating Hispanic (30%), and Asian (10%). Three quarters of the participants had an income of $60,000 or less, and about 70% had a bachelor’s or higher degree.

Table 2 shows the educational and professional background of the participants. More than 80% of the participants had an educational background in child development (32%) and ECE (53%). About half of the participants held a state certification in ECE (56%). Many participants were administrators (e.g., director, supervisor, coordinator) (48.6%) or teachers, including lead and assistant teachers (34.8%). The majority of them were employed full-time and had worked in the current position about 9 years. They worked about 38 hours a week (SD = 9.68) with half of their work hours in taking care of children directly (M = 21.70, SD = 14.60).

Measures We constructed a survey that measures the well-being, job satisfaction, and demographic information of ECE professionals. The survey consisted of 105 multiple-choice and open-ended questions and was administered using the Qualtrics platform.

Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10) (Andresen et al., 1994) The CES-D-10 is a 10-item self-report depression scale assessing current depressive symptoms. It includes three items on depressed affect (depressed, fearful, lonely), five items on somatic symptoms (bothered, restless sleep, lack of focus, low energy, lethargy), and two on positive affect (happy, hopeful). Each item was rated on a 4-point Likert scale with scores ranging from 1 = rarely or none of the time (less than 1 day) to 4 = most or all of the time (5–7 days). Scores are reversed for items 5 and 8, which are positive affect statements. The higher the score the greater the depression symptom. The Cronbach’s alpha score for the current study was .84.

Teacher Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire (Renshaw, 2020) The Teacher Subjective Well-being] Questionnaire is an 8-item self-report scale measuring teachers’

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Table 1. Demographic Characteristics of ECE Professionals Demographic ­variable Age (M = 43.51; SD = 13.19; range = 19.17 – 75.58) Gender Female Male Ethnicity White African American/Black Asian American/Asian Hispanic Middle Eastern or North African Other Household income Less than $20,000 $20,000 – $39,999 $40,000 – $59,999 $60,000 – $99,999 More than $100,000 Highest education High school graduate Some college but no degree Associate degree Bachelor’s degree Graduate or professional degree

Frequency

Proportion (%)

115 2

98.3 1.7

57 5 12 35 2 6

48.7 4.3 10.3 29.9 1.7 5.1

6 25 25 24 29

35.1 29.8 10.5 15.8 8.8

4 16 17 46 31

3.5 14.0 14.9 40.4 27.2

Note. N = 117. This table displays the demographic characteristics of participants. Although there was a total of 117 participants, the number of people who answered each question was lower, indicating some missing data. The proportion data is based on the number of people who answered the questions.

subjective work-related well-being. Some examples of the items are: “I feel like I belong at this school,” and “I feel like people at this school care about me.” Each item was rated on a 4-point Likert scale with scores ranging from 1= almost never to 4 = almost always. It yields an overall teacher subjective well-being score as well as two independent subscale scores: teaching efficacy and school connectedness. The Cronbach’s alpha scores were .83 for the overall score, .74 for teacher efficacy, and .79 for school connectedness.

Early Childhood Job Satisfaction Survey (Bloom, 2010) The Early Childhood Job Satisfaction Survey is a self-report scale measuring early childhood educators’ job satisfaction in the early childhood setting. It includes 50 items across five subscales: co-worker relations, supervisor relations, the nature of the work itself, working conditions, and

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pay and promotion opportunities. In the current study, we used the working conditions subscale which includes 10 items such as “my work schedule is flexible.” Each item was rated on a 5-point Likert scale with scores ranged from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. The Cronbach’s alpha score for the current study was .80.

Early Childhood Professional Well-Being Questionnaire (ECPW) (McMullen et al., 2020) The ECPW is a 30-item self-report scale that assesses early childhood educators’ subjective well-being and risk of turnover. Each item was rated on a 5-point Likert scale with scores ranging from 1 = never to 5 = almost always. The 27 well-being items of the ECPW are based on nine senses that capture Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: comfort, security, agency, efficacy, affinity, communication, engagement, self-respect, and contribution. Based on the exploratory factor analyses

Table 2. Educational and Professional Background of Childcare Providers Demographic variable

Frequency

Education Elementary education Child development, psychology, or liberal studies Early childhood education Other Hold a state certification in early care and education Yes No Child development permit Child development assistant/associate permit Child development teacher permit Child development master teacher permit Child development site supervisor permit Child development program director permit Job title Director Site supervisor Program coordinator Director/teacher Lead teacher/instructor Teacher/instructor Assistant teacher/aid Other Employment status Full time Part time Other Number of years working in the current position (M = 9.01, SD = 9.68) Number of work hours per week (M = 37.57, SD = 10.74) Number of hours caring for children per week (M = 21.70, SD = 14.60)

Proportion (%)

3 37 61 14

2.6 32.2 53.0 12.2

65 51

56.03 43.97

8 13 4 27 22

12.9 17.6 5.4 36.5 29.7

28 6 9 13 18 22 11 8

24.3 5.2 7.8 11.3 15.7 19.1 9.6 7.0

93 21 3

79.5 17.9 2.6

Note. N = 117. The proportion data is based on the number of people who actually answered the questions.

(McMullen et al., 2020), we calculated the mean score of three well-being subscales: supportive structures (a = .77), collegial relationships (a = .82), and professional beliefs and values (a = .72).

Risk of turnover was calculated as the mean of the three job turnover items (a = .69). Higher scores indicate more supportive environment and relationship and less risk of turnover. The Cronbach’s alpha score for the current study was .69.

Student-Teacher Relationship Scale— Short Form (STRS) (Pianta, 2001) The STRS is a 15-item self-report scale that measures Early Childhood educators’ relationships with children in their classroom. Each item was

rated on a 5-point Likert scale with scores ranging from 1 = definitely does not apply to 5 = definitely applies. The STRS yields two subscale scores: closeness and conflict. The Cronbach’s alpha scores are .81 for both subscales.

12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) (RAND Health Care, n.d.)

The SF-12 is a self-report measure developed for the Health Outcome study by the RAND Corporation. It assesses Early Childhood educators’ physical health conditions. We adopted three items that concern the participant’s general health, engagement in daily work-related activities, and perception of pain. Higher scores indicate better

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health, higher engagement, and more pain. The individual item scores are presented separately without being combined.

and climate: M = 3.89, SD = .60) and low risk of turnover (M = 3.61, SD = .88) (Table 3). We examined whether ECE professionals felt supported in their profession or were threatened with loss of their job during the pandemic. A repeated-­ measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni correction showed that ECE professionals felt greater support in their job as compared to fears of losing their job, F(3, 101) = 38.85, p = .00.

The pairwise comparisons of the professional well-­ being ratings indicated that the ratings in collegial relationships (between/among adults) and professional beliefs and values (autonomy, choices, participation in decision-making) were significantly higher than the rating in risk of turnover, but not higher than the supportive structure.

With regard to their relationship with children, a paired-sample t-test found that childcare ECE professionals reported higher teacher-child closeness (M = 4.65, SD = .45) than teacher-child conflict (M = 2.15, SD = .68), t(98) = 27.24, p = < .05.

In regard to mental health, childcare providers seem to avoid depression as indicated by the low average score of depression (M = 1.92, SD = .62). Last, childcare providers reported high job satisfaction (M = 3.73, SD = .72), teaching efficacy (M = 3.62, SD = .46), and school connectedness (M = 3.43, SD = .67).

Table 4 displays ECE professionals’ physical well-being. It seemed that childcare providers demonstrated good physical health, experienced

Early Childhood Educators’ Financial Well-Being The questionnaire included six items that examine the financial well-being of childcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic by exploring whether they received any COVID relief funding from the government for their program (e.g., Paycheck Protection Program, Federal Small Business Administration loans, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) and how they used it (e.g., payroll, rent, insurance). We also asked if they have lost income or benefits and what financial support or resources they and their families need (e.g., protection from COVID-19, learning resources). The individual item scores are presented separately without being combined.

Results Table 3 displays the mean scores of various well-being measures that examined ECE professionals’ physical, psychological, and professional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. With regard to professional well-being, ECE professionals rated collegial relationships (between/among adults: M = 4.20, SD = .63) and professional beliefs and values (autonomy, choices, participation in decision-making: M = 4.26, SD = .49) higher than supportive structures (environment

Table 3. Early Childhood Educator’s Well-Being and Working Condition Demographic variable Early childhood professional well-being Collegial relationships Professional beliefs and values Supportive structures Low risk of turnover Teacher-child relationship Closeness Conflict Depression Teacher subjective well-being Teaching efficacy School connectedness Early childhood job satisfaction Note. N = 117.

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M

SD

Min

Max

4.20 4.26 3.89 3.61

.63 .49 .60 .88

2.00 2.22 1.91 1.33

5.00 5.00 4.82 5.00

4.65 2.15 1.92 3.52 3.62 3.43 3.73

.45 .68 .62 .51 .46 .67 .72

2.25 1.00 1.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 1.80

5.00 5.00 3.30 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.83

Table 4. Early Childhood Educator’s Physical Well-Being Demographic variable Early child educators’ physical well-being Engagement in daily work-related activities Moderate work activities Climbing stairs Perception of pain in performing work-related activities

M

SD

Min

Max

3.42

.88

1.00

5.00

2.71 2.64 1.88

.52 .61 1.01

1.00 1.00 1.00

3.00 3.00 5.00

Note. N = 117.

Table 5. Early Childhood Educator’s Financial Well-Being Financial well-being variable Received funding from any of the government assistance programs Yes No Amount of funding received (n = 10, M = $37,040, SD = $40,525) Use of government funding Payroll and staffing benefits Rent/mortgage and utilities Areas affected by COVID-19a Income Reduced tuition for employees’ children Retirement program Health insurance Sick leave Assistance and support neededa Protecting myself and employees from COVID-19 Protecting children from COVID-19 Information on financial assistance for small businesses Continuation of government funding Information on how to engage families while closed Learning resources to share with children Assistance with communicating with families Areas of concern for children and families Basic needs of families Child development Mental health Financial burden Health and safety

Frequency

Proportion (%)

27 31

30.3 65.2

20 2

90.9 9.1

40 4 3 6 26 17 22 5 23 11 38 17 6 23 31 7 19

7.0 26.7 36.1 8.1 22.1

Note. N = 117. a As multiple items were chosen, proportion was not calculated.

low pain, and were able to be highly engaged with daily work-related activities.

Table 5 shows the financial circumstances of ECE professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Note that we had a small number of respondents for this section.) The small number of programs that received government funding

mostly used it to pay for staff salaries and benefits.

Many ECE professionals who participated in the study lost their income and sick leave during the pandemic. The areas they were most concerned about were the development and learning of children, the well-being of families, and the health of staff and children.

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Open-Ended Questions The survey asked two open-ended questions: What has been the most challenging aspect in your role during the COVID-19 pandemic? and What keeps you in the field working with children and families? The responses to the first question included: constant changes in protocol, centers closing due to COVID positive staff/children, mental health, paid time off, and maintaining and promoting positivity. These challenges were mentioned multiple times from participants, but even with the challenges, the results showed that there was high job satisfaction, teaching efficacy, and school connectedness.

One theme that frequently emerged from the second question was Love. Many ECE professionals mentioned that they love teaching, helping children and families, and making positive changes for children and families. The resilience of the ECE professionals was evident in the various well-being measures we used to examine their professional, physical, psychological, and emotional well-being.

The ECE professionals reported having collegial relationships with their coworkers, supportive work environments, and high job satisfaction.

They reported that their ideas and teaching are valued in their work environment, their contributions are appreciated by parents, and their professional development is encouraged.

The resilience of the ECE professionals was evident in the various well-being measures we used to examine their professional, physical, psychological, and emotional well-being.

Discussion The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted an added layer of stress and challenges on the already distressed ECE field and ECE professionals who provide essential services for families and communities. During the pandemic, the ECE professionals who participated in this study faced various

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unprecedented challenges such as loss of income, unsafe health conditions, and teaching online.

However, the results from this study revealed the resilience and spirit of ECE professionals, who value the quality of their work and the well-being of the children and families that they serve. They had positive mental health and displayed a firm resolution to meet the developmental and emotional needs of the children and families. Many of them said that they would like government funding to support staff salaries and benefits as well as training on how to share learning resources with children and engage with families online.

During the pandemic, the ECE professionals who participated in this study faced various unprecedented challenges such as loss of income, unsafe health conditions, and teaching online.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, about 8,500—or one in five—ECE programs were closed in California (Aguilera, 2021). We found that the closure caused ECE centers a substantial loss in the number of enrollments and the amount of income. They struggled to pay staff salaries, benefits, and time away from work because of illness. Only a small number of ECE programs received some government funding and they used it mostly to pay their staff. The ECE programs also reported that they were not prepared to provide distance learning to children and get connected with families virtually. Unfortunately, these challenges were experienced in many ECE programs in California. Indeed, many ECE professionals reported that they lack the technology (e.g., computers, software) and high-speed internet access that are essential in distance learning (American Institute for Research & Early Edge California, 2020).

Despite all the challenges, the ECE professionals displayed high levels of passion, resilience, and

efficiency, which they used to provide distance learning, share resources, and connect with families in unprecedented ways. Even with distance teaching, ECE professionals felt close to their students and coworkers. They also felt confident in their ability to teach children and contribute to their development and learning. Although they worried constantly about their health and safety and that of the children they teach, they gave high ratings on their physical and mental health and reported low levels of depression and pain. These findings suggest that the ECE professionals had positive attitudes, values, and beliefs, which might have offset the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their job satisfaction and teaching efficacy. The well-being of ECE professionals is important because it is directly related to the quality of teaching and care they provide for children and families (Gerber et al., 2007; Grant et al., 2019; Johnson et al., 2019; Whitaker et al., 2015).

These findings suggest that the ECE professionals had positive attitudes, values, and beliefs, which might have offset the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their job satisfaction and teaching efficacy.

Randall et al. (2021) examined 1,434 ECE professionals’ physical and psychological well-­ being during the time of COVID-19. The results indicated that the majority of the participants were overweight, and less than half participated in the recommended amount of physical activity per week. Despite these results, the participants indicated satisfaction with their jobs, experienced moderate stress, and reflected moderate-to-high work commitment (Randall et al., 2021). Another study (Eadie et al., 2021) indicated similar results, showing that although the negative impact of COVID-19 was reported among ECE participants, they also indicated that their well-being was relatively high. This was likely due to less conflict in

the educator-child relationship, which correlated with a lower risk of turnover (Eadie et al., 2021).

The second open-ended question in this study asked participants what keeps them in the field.

The responses included the love for working with children, the connections with families, the comfort and security of the position, obligation, child development, and paycheck. These findings underscore the importance of supporting ECE professionals’ well-being, which can affect workforce retention, quality early childhood education, and children’s healthy learning and development.

Application and Conclusion There were some limitations to this study.

This was a relatively small sample size. It would be beneficial to see responses from ECE professionals in other states and how the pandemic was handled in their places of employment. This study was descriptive in nature. It would be helpful to see what ECE teachers would say in an interview setting when given a chance to elaborate on their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is a lack of studies on ECE professionals’ job satisfaction during COVID-19; more research is needed to examine this area of interest to better ensure the well-being of ECE professionals as centers and programs go back to “business as usual.”

For FCS professionals, this research provides a better understanding of the importance of personal well-being and interpersonal relationships.

These core concepts are essential when supervising staff or training pre-service teachers in child development courses. The FCS-BOK discusses community vitality, and this definitely applies to ECE professionals and the importance of having opportunities to grow and develop, based on the support from those around them.

It is evident that there needs to be a system change that supports ECE professionals’ mental health and well-being. Opportunities for listening sessions, professional development on mental wellness, and community building can assist with that goal. Nickols et al. (2009) stated that the FCS-BOK can be used to influence the future, and what better way to influence the future than to ensure that the needs and well-being of ECE professionals are met.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14307/JFCS115.4.30

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Encouraging Money Conversations Among Black, Hispanic, and White Households: Lessons for FCS Professionals Portia L. Johnson Megan McCoy Kimberly Watkins Kenneth J. White

As a follow-up to White et al.’s (2021) “We Don’t Talk About That”: Exploring Money Conversations of Black, Hispanic, and White Households, this article examines social capital and financial conversations among racial and ethnic groups. Although most people avoid discussing money, Blacks and Hispanics have the fewest financial conversations.

When they do have money talks, Black and Hispanic individuals are more likely to have conversations with friends rather than with partners, family, or professionals. This article uses research to recommend techniques that family and consumer sciences (FCS) practitioners and educators can use to help families cope with the discomfort that may arise and increase their money conversations.

Portia L. Johnson, PhD, is Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist at Auburn University in Auburn, AL; Megan McCoy, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Department of Personal Financial Planning at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS; Kimberly Watkins, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Department of Financial Planning, Housing, and Consumer Economics at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA; Kenneth J. White, PhD ­(kennethwhite@ arizona.edu) is Associate Professor, Norton School of Human Ecology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ.

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Talking about money is taboo in American culture (Alsemgeest, 2016). Yet, open financial communication in the home can be healthy, reduce family stress, and create an environment that teaches children financial skills, self-efficacy, and values (Gudmunson & Danes, 2011; McCoy et al., 2021).

Outside the home, transparent discussions about money with friends or co-workers, or even practitioners, also can have personal, financial, and relational benefits (Irving, 2012; Klontz et al., 2008).

Blacks and Hispanics are more likely than Whites to ask friends and family for financial advice (De Rubio, 2013). Interestingly, when you control for income and net worth, Black households consult financial experts more than Hispanic, White, and Asian households (White & Heckman, 2016).

However, in reality, due to the racial wealth gap

Talking about money is taboo in American culture.

and other contributing factors, Black households still represent a low percentage of financial planning clients. Regardless of their financial situation, Hispanics use planners less than Blacks (Hanna, 2011). White et al. (2021) examined racial/ethnic differences and the role of bonding and bridging in building social capital (Bourdieu, 1986) in financial discussions while controlling for economic and cultural capital.

Methodology and Results White et al. (2021) analyzed n = 8,006 (N = 32,024) National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019) respondents using chi-square tests and Generalized Estimating Equations models with sampling weights. “Talked with partners” and “talked with family” binary variable responses were labeled bonding social capital (Malecki, 2012; Woolcock, 2004). Respondents who said “talked with friends” or “talked with professionals” were classified as bridging social capital. Race/ethnicity was the dependent variable, and economic and cultural capital (income, net worth, financial assets, marital status, health status, education, geography, and age) were covariates.

Four main results were found. First, 83% of respondents had not discussed money in the past 12 months. Second, Black and Hispanic households were less likely than Whites to have discussed money in the past year. Third, Blacks and Hispanics were less likely than Whites to discuss money with partners and family (i.e., bonding capital). Fourth, although Blacks were less likely to discuss money in their homes (bonding capital) than other groups, Black respondents were more likely to talk to friends than Whites were (i.e., bridging capital; Bourdieu, 1986).

Importance to Practitioners FCS professionals should consider the findings of White et al. (2021) in community programming by offering effective ways to cope with financial anxiety and increase financial conversations. This is especially important for Black and Hispanic individuals who are less likely to have financial discussions at home (Martin et al., 2014). FCS educators may introduce financial skills programming that considers dyadic coping strategies (Falconier

& Epstein, 2011), encourages financial storytelling (Range et al., 2018; Wilkins et al., 2013), partners with trusted organizations (e.g., churches), and promotes family financial discussions (Vaterlaus et al., 2015). There are several programs available for practitioners to use to promote these conversations. For example, the Money Habitudes Conversations Cards help families uncover ingrained thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a gamified way (McGregor, 2005). In addition, Extension programs in states often will have financial courses available to FCS educators that include guides to aid in starting conversations with family members such as Minnesota Extension’s Dollar Works personal financial education program, which includes modules on how to integrate culture into financial discussions and how to talk to your children about money (Peterson et al., 2013).

FCS educators may introduce financial skills programming that considers dyadic coping strategies, encourages financial storytelling, partners with trusted organizations, and promotes family financial discussions.

Dyadic Coping Dyadic coping refers to how two people respond to stress together (Falconier & Epstein, 2011). To engage in financial conversations with others, both people need to be able to manage the potential stress that may arise from discussing a taboo topic.

FCS educators can direct individuals and couples to exercises that help them in the following ways: (1) increase understanding of financial strain, (2) increase understanding of their clients’ financial beliefs and how that affects their behaviors, (3) modify extreme or inappropriate thought patterns that contribute to conflict and strain regarding finances, and (4) improve and adopt coping behaviors. Additionally, FCS professionals can help

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clients cope with trauma using solution-focused behaviors and learn to express emotions and concerns through healthy communication, relaxation techniques, or support groups (Falconier & Epstein, 2011). It is also important that FCS educators recognize when to refer clients to financial counselors, financial therapists, and mental health professionals. Some specific dyadic coping strategies and exercises include: • E mpathetic responding: Listening to under-

stand the other person, then responding in a caring and highly supportive way (O’Brien et al., 2009).

• A n example of supportive positive dyadic coping (Bodenmann, 1997): offering financial advice to your significant other on a matter.

• A n example of delegated positive dyadic coping (Bodenmann, 1997): assuming a financial task for the other, such as paying the bills, or inquiring with the credit card company about a suspicious charge.

• A n example of common positive dyadic coping (Bodenmann, 1997): jointly creating a budget, or establishing a joint system for when (e.g., Saturday mornings after coffee) and where (e.g., in the sunroom) you discuss money.

Financial Storytelling Families are a trusted emotional support for Black and Hispanic individuals (Vaterlaus et al., 2015).

FCS professionals can leverage this bonding capital by encouraging clients to bring partners or family members to group sessions, which could include financial storytelling. For individuals, storytelling helps one process and label feelings and emotions, contextualize events, and frame or reframe their viewpoints (Burleson & Goldsmith, 1998; Clark, 1993; Weber et al., 1987).

Among families, storytelling increases feelings of community and connection (Range et al., 2018) and makes sense of difficult experiences (Koenig Kellas & Trees, 2005). FCS educators can invite participants to share their personal and family money stories, and how they think about and interact with money (Krueger, 2019). To help aid these conversations, FCS educators may provide

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partners and families with financial conversation starter prompts (Braxton, 2012). Below are some scenarios and sample prompts to initiate financial storytelling. Also, see the Appendices for additional prompts.

Religion and spirituality are guiding principles for many people, and as such, churches and faith-based groups may be ideal FCS community partners for Blacks.

Partnership and Community Religion and spirituality are guiding principles for many people, and as such, churches and faith-based groups may be ideal FCS community partners for Blacks (Vaterlaus et al., 2015). The importance of connection to faith in the Black community was summed up best by Brewer and Williams (2019): The Black Church is the longstanding institutional backbone of the African American community and represents the collectivistic culture interwoven into the fabric of the lives of African Americans. It has been a locus of hope, spiritual guidance, and social support for African Americans. It has spearheaded advocacy efforts for political and social justice while providing health and other services for the disadvantaged communities it serves. Since its inception, the Black Church has been a place of refuge and healing for the oppressed and marginalized and remains a gateway to reach and mobilize African Americans for meaningful change and reform. A strong sense of kinship and social connectedness is evident among its parishioners, and the Black Church has epitomized resilience, as it has engaged in capacity building and survived in the face of adversity, scarcity of resources, and historical threats. (p. 385) FCS educators can raise awareness about local faith-based relationships and financial education

Financial Storytelling (Scenarios for bonding capital through narrative) Scenario

Prompts

Newly engaged couple discovering each other’s history with money

What are your first memories of money?

Encouraging financial transparency among family members A group of friends exchanging financial advice

What, if anything, would you change about your current financial situation? Why? Tell me a time when you made a financial mistake.

What did you learn from it?

What money topic or issue is the most frequent cause of a disagreement or argument?

Managing financial conflict between partners

Discussing finances with aging parents

If you become unable to make decisions for yourself, how should I manage your finances?

How did your parents manage money when you were growing up? How does that impact how you manage money?

If you received $1,000 tax-free today, what would you do with it?

What advice would you give your younger self about your finances?

I want to do an exercise called the internalized other (Mudry et al., 2016). This is where you both “pretend” to be your partner. You should not do a caricature but rather really try to respond to each other as if you were your partner.

If you had to write a letter of last instructions, what would you put in it?

resources to help people engage with them before a financial conflict or trial. Introducing micro-­ messages about faith-based counseling and financial therapy in FCS programming via popular mass media sources, ad campaigns or short video clips can reduce stigma around seeking help and build awareness of faith-based entities that provide supportive resources. FCS educators can refer their clients to their faith-based institution for financial guidance in the form of faith-based financial counseling. Currently, the two most common faithbased financial counseling programs are Financial Peace University (Ramsey, 1998) and Crown Ministries (Crown Ministries, n.d.), but local churches may have their own faith-based counseling program that can support clients.

Faith-based financial counseling programs are not the only reason to build relationships with your clients’ institutions of faith. FCS educators also can refer their clients to their faith-based

When you were growing up did your parent(s) discuss money among themselves? Did they discuss money with you as a child?

What aspects of your current spending are you most proud of and which aspects would you change?

What financial decision are you most proud of and why?

Do you remember your parents talking about money? Fighting over their finances? What precisely can you remember?

What are your wishes for the future in terms of your arrangements? I want to make sure you have all your final wishes fulfilled.

institution for couple or family counseling to facilitate financial conversations and transparency within the family unit. Of course, financial literacy and wellness are key to financial well-being but the key takeaway to White et al. (2021) is the power of financial communication in building bonding and bridging social capital.

Of course, financial literacy and wellness are key to financial well-being but the key takeaway is the power of financial communication in building bonding and bridging social capital.

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Conclusion Discussing money is difficult for many people, regardless of race or ethnicity. FCS professionals can help increase money conversations by offering techniques and resources that improve locus of control, dyadic coping, family storytelling, and community and faith-based support. Improving connections within families and to external support can prompt healthy conversations about money, along with the financial, relational, and emotional benefits that inevitably follow.

References Alsemgeest, L. (2016). Talking about money is taboo: Perceptions of financial planning students and implications for the financial planning industry. Industry and Higher Education, 30(6), 394–401. https://doi. org/10.1177/0950422216670065 Bodenmann, G. (1997). Dyadic coping: A systemic transactional view of stress and coping among couples: Theory and empirical findings. Revue Europeene de Psychologie Appliqu´ee´, 47, 137–140.

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of social capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.

Braxton, L. (2012). Financial planning: Do ask, do tell. Journal of Financial Planning, 25(12), 30–31.

Brewer, L. C., & Williams, D. R. (2019). We’ve come this far by faith: The role of the Black church in public health.

American Journal of Public Health, 109(3), 385–386. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304939 Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019). U.S. Department of Labor.

National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort, 1997–2017 (Rounds 1–18). Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR). The Ohio State University.

Burleson, B. R., & Goldsmith, D. J. (1998). How the comforting process works: Alleviating emotional distress through conversationally induced reappraisals. In P. A. Andersen & L. K. Guerrero (Eds.), Handbook of communication and emotion: Research, theory, applications, and contexts (pp. 245–280). Academic Press.

Clark, L. F. (1993). Stress and the cognitive-conversational benefits of social interaction. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 12(1), 25–55.

Crown Ministries. (n.d.). Bring to life who you are and what you have. Crown.org.

De Rubio, A. (2013). Understanding minority households as consumers of financial services. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 42(2), 150–161. https://doi. org/10.1111/fcsr.12049 Falconier, M. K., & Epstein, N. B. (2011). Couples experiencing financial strain: What we know and what we can do. Family Relations, 60(3), 303–317. https://doi. org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2011.00650.x Gudmunson, C. G., & Danes, S. M. (2011). Family financial socialization: Theory and critical review. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 32(4), 644–667. https://doi. org/10.1007/s10834-011-9275-y

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Hanna, S. (2011). The demand for financial planning services.

Journal of Personal Finance, 10(1), 36–62.

Irving, K. (2012). The financial life well-lived: Psychological benefits of financial planning. Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal, 6(4), 47–59.

Klontz, B. T., Bivens, A., Klontz, P. T., Wada, J., & Kahler, R. (2008). The treatment of disordered money behaviors: Results of an open clinical trial. Psychological Services, 5(3), 295–308. https://doi.org/10.1037/1541-1559.5.

3.295 Koenig Kellas, J., & Trees, A. R. (2005). Rating interactional sense-making in the process of joint storytelling. In V. Manusov (Ed.), The sourcebook of nonverbal measures: Going beyond words (pp. 281–299). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Krueger, M. (2019). Your new money story: The beliefs, behaviors, and brain science to rewire for wealth. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Malecki, E. J. (2012). Regional social capital: Why it matters.

Regional Studies, 46(8), 1023–1039. https://doi.org/10.1 080/00343404.2011.607806 Martin, T. K., Jr., Finke, M., & Gibson, P. (2014). Race, trust, and retirement decisions. Journal of Personal Finance, 13(2), 62–71. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2358737 McCoy, M., O’Neal, C. W., Gale, J., Goetz, J., & Mancini, J. (2021). Financial boundary ambiguity in military spouses. Family Relations. 70(4), 1265-1279. https://doi. org/10.1111/fare.12520 McGregor, S. (2005). Money Habitudes™: A guide for professionals working with money related issues. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 29(400), 386–388.

Mudry, T. E., Strong, T., Sametband, I., Rogers‐de Jong, M., Gaete, J., Merritt, S., ... & Ross, K. H. (2016). Internalized other interviewing in relational therapy: Three discursive approaches to understanding its use and outcomes. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 42(1), 168–184.

O’Brien, T., DeLongis, A., Pomaki, G., Puterman, E., & Zwicker, A. (2009). Couples coping with stress: The role of empathic responding. European Psychologist, 14(1), 18–28.

Petersen, C. M., Heins, R. K., & Katras, M. J. (2013). Dollars Works 2: The evolution of a financial literacy program.

Journal of Extension, 51(2), n2.

Ramsey, D. (1998). The financial peace planner: A step-by-step guide to restoring your family’s financial health. Penguin.

Range, B., Gutierrez, D., Gamboni, C., Hough, N. A., & ­Wojciak, A. (2018). Mass trauma in the African American community: Using multiculturalism to build resilient systems. Contemporary Family Therapy, 40(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-017-9449-3 Vaterlaus, J. M., Skogrand, L., & Chaney, C. (2015). Helpseeking for marital problems: Perceptions of individuals in strong African American marriages. Contemporary Family Therapy, 37(1), 22–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s10591-014-9324-4 Weber, A. L., Harvey, J. H., & Stanley, M. A. (1987). The nature and motivations of accounts for failed relationships. In R. Burnett, P. McGhee, & D. D. Clarke (Eds.), Accounting for relationships: Explanation, representation, and knowledge (pp. 114–133). Methuen.

White, K. J., & Heckman, S. J. (2016). Financial planner use among Black and Hispanic households. Journal of Financial Planning, 29(9), 40–49.

White, K. J., McCoy, M., Watkins, K., Chen, X., Koposko, J., & Mizuta, M. (2021). “We Don’t talk about that”: Exploring money conversations of Black, Hispanic, and White households. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 49(4), 328–343.

Wilkins, E. J., Whiting, J. B., Watson, M. F., Russon, J. M., & Moncrief, A. M. (2013). Residual effects of slavery: What clinicians need to know. Contemporary Family Therapy, 35(1), 14–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s10591-012-9219-1 Woolcock, M. (2004). Why and how planners should take social capital seriously. Journal of the American Planning Association, 70(2), 183–189.

Appendix A Questions To Identify a Personal Money Script 1. What’s your earliest childhood memory about money?

2. Do you remember your parents talking about money? Fighting over their finances? What precisely can you remember?

3. What was the feeling around spending money and paying bills when you were growing up?

4. Did your family of origin experience a significant financial event when you were a child? A job loss, divorce, substantial debt, windfall, etc.

5. When you were young, did you feel like you had more, less, or the same money as your friends? Did you make comparisons?

6. What were the financial circumstances of your parents’ childhoods? How could that have shaped their money stories? And how has their money story influenced yours (i.e., what did you inherit)? For example, Depression-era children might have a scarcity money story.

7. Do you have feelings of guilt about money?

8. Do you feel like you deserve money?

9. Where do you spend money? Where do you want to spend money? Do these align?

10. Do you feel like financial success is attainable?

Why or why not?

Source: Money Story: What it is and how it affects your finances? (May 16, 2022). Women Who Money. https://womenwhomoney.com/ money-story-affect-finances/

Appendix B What Is Your Money Story?

First, determine your money story. Ask yourself a series of questions.

1. What did you learn about money from your parents or family? Did they teach you how to use money or was your education mostly gained from watching them?

2. What do you remember about finances in your childhood home? Did it seem to be present or was money tight?

3. Do you remember your parents or family fighting about money? Discussing it openly?

4. What “category” would you place your family in? Lower class, middle class, upper class?

5. Were there any big financial events in your family, like a big raise or a job loss? How was that handled in your family?

6. As an adult, have you noticed anything about how your family interacts with money? Do they save all of it, spend a lot, or talk about never having enough? Or do they seem to be fairly stable with money?

Once you know the answers, figure out how your money story affects you. Ask yourself: 1. Do I do anything with money that is similar to my parents or family? Do I think this is a positive or negative behavior?

2. Do I discuss or think about money the way I’ve heard my family discussing it?

3. What’s the difference about how I manage, think about, or discuss money? Do I think this is a positive or negative difference?

4. Would a different money story/background serve me better with money now?

5. Does my relationship with money or my money story connect with my money values?

6. If I had kids, what would I do the same or different when talking about money?

Source: Moore, H. Money and Family Stories.

(June 17, 2019). Everyday Money. https://live wealthynow.com/blog/money-and-family-stories/

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14307/JFCS115.4.36

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Apparel Design Inspired

by Object-Based Learning Amber S. Williams Lacee R. Boschetto Donna M. Brown

Slow looking is the art and practice of learning through observation. Using object-based learning strategies provides instructors with innovative opportunities to pique curiosity while providing scaffolding for creativity skills needed to generate new clothing and apparel designs. This paper aims to identify how an FCS educator can use a slow- looking activity as an approach that integrates curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in the apparel design classroom.

The emergence of sustainability practices and mindsets within the fashion industry introduces a unique challenge for apparel design instructors. Apparel designs that fulfill human needs, embrace performance attributes, or meet sustainability standards are the products gaining consumers’ attention (Ellen Macarthur Foundation, 2017; Kang & Kim, 2013; Lamb & Kallal, 1992; Roach-Higgins & Eicher, 1992; Watkins, 1988).

Thus, the challenge of teaching future apparel designers how to become creative problem solvers continues.

Amber S. Williams, PhD (Amber.williams@usu.edu) is Lecturer, Family & Consumer Sciences/Outdoor Product Design & Development; Lacee R. Boschetto, PhD, is Assistant Professor; and Donna M. Brown, PhD, is Professional Practice Professor. All authors are at Utah State University in Logan, UT.

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Apparel designs that fulfill human needs, embrace performance attributes, or meet sustainability standards are the products gaining consumers’ attention.

This article proposes object-based learning (OBL) as an approach that instructors can implement during the design process to guide learning and promote curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking (Koberg & Bagnall, 2003; Straughan-Navarro, 2020; Watkins, 1988). Using OBL strategies provides students with experiences to think critically about apparel as they design for functionality, aesthetics, and sustainable impact (Frigo, 2019; Straughan-Navarro, 2020).

Curiosity Human beings are naturally curious, which helps individuals seek out new information in creative and beautiful ways. Curiosity is “the desire for new knowledge, information, experiences, or stimulation to resolve gaps or experience the unknown” (Grossnickle, 2016; p. 26). Regarding teaching patternmaking, curiosity becomes critical in generating new ideas for how clothing should be designed, primarily if a circular economy model is being used

to direct the design process (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017; Koberg & Bagnall, 2003).

Traditionally, skills-based content, such as patternmaking, has been effectively taught using direct instruction techniques. However, the effects of curiosity can be diminished when direct instruction is the dominant source of instruction (Eyler, 2018; Mida & Kim, 2015). In a patternmaking course, a common practice in the classroom involves students sourcing inspiration from an historical costume or trend reports (Mida & Kim, 2015). This approach involves studying objects; however, existing apparel products are an obvious source that may or may not limit the capacity for creativity, especially with inexperienced or emerging designers.

Critical needs identified by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017) in textile and apparel design necessitate that designers create products with the whole lifecycle of a product in mind or with a “used more” mindset. Transforming the inspiration stage of design with non-traditional objects through OBL is one way to spark curiosity and encourage emerging designers to design in ways that have not already been pursued. OBL using non-traditional objects is an innovative approach for sourcing inspiration for apparel design. The method explored here used objects in a museum exhibit not rooted in fashion.

Object-Based Learning OBL is a practical strategy that invokes curiosity by guiding students through a thoughtful, curious, creative process. OBL requires active participation from learners as they examine objects to be able to (1) identify aesthetic qualities that evoke emotions while engaging the senses, (2) make connections to others, theories, and ideas, and (3) be a source of inspiration for consideration of new ideas or paradigms (Object Based Learning, n.d.; Straughan-Navarro, 2020). OBL differs from hands-on experiences because it allows the instructor to provide context through guided exploration while asking the learner to make an interpretation, apply other skills to build knowledge, and make additional discoveries for the challenge or problem to be researched (Banning & Gam, 2020; Hamblen, 1984; Oberg, 2012; Tishman, 2018). OBL

in a patternmaking class can be used to provide context, explore complex concepts, foster visual literacy, increase knowledge, cultivate creative thinking, examine the object as a primary source, and enhance self-reflection and empathy for others (Banning & Gam, 2020; Diddi & Marcketti, 2014; Frigo, 2019).

OBL differs from hands-on experiences because it allows the instructor to provide context through guided exploration while asking the learner to make an interpretation, apply other skills to build knowledge, and make additional discoveries for the challenge or problem to be researched.

Slow-Looking Slow-looking is an OBL strategy presented by Tishman (2018) that enables instructors to provide a valuable experience with comprehensive educational benefits. Slow-looking supports active cognitive opportunities for meaning-making and critical thinking that are often impossible through high-speed means of information delivery that direct instruction facilitates.

Tishman (2018) stated that slow-looking involves teaching learners how to be mindful observers. The slow-looking process begins with asking learners questions about what they see, known as categorization. Categorization includes asking participants to identify colors, lines, or shapes. The wisdom in starting with identification is that it is easy to look and see—a hook for engaging learners. The next step involves making open inventories. An open inventory connects categorized items with the senses and symbolic representations (Beene & Thompson, 2022; Mida & Kim, 2015; Tishman, 2018).

Slow-looking provides a framework for students to discern their interpretations while bridging connections between the complex

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intricacies of life or from a proposed design challenge, which could not be garnered through lecture or demonstration practices. Use these steps to take students through a slow-looking process: (1) select your object for slow looking, (2) observe the object, (3) record your questions, (4) consider the object within a larger system, (5) visualize the system, and (6) reflect (The Museum of Fine Arts, 2015; Project Zero, n.d.; Tishman, 2018).

After observing a painting for at least 5 minutes, participants list what they see or feel.

During this step, they should be encouraged to identify the obvious, unfamiliar, or anything that may appear surprising. In addition, participants can identify associations between the elements or principles of design with emotions and symbolism. Second, participants should generate a list of questions about what they see or feel in the painting. The next step involves contemplating the object of study within another system (i.e., apparel design). For example, participants should imagine how apparel design relates or connects with their list and the themes observed in the painting. For the next to last step, the participant

should visualize or sketch ideas of how the object being studied (i.e., picture) fits or interacts within the system (i.e., apparel design). Last, an individual or group reflection should take place. Reflection is a time to discuss insights gained and any implications for the innovations generated during the visualization stage.

Classroom Application Slow looking was implemented as an OBL activity in an apparel patternmaking course at Utah State University. Patternmaking students were challenged to create a half-scale apparel design using Lamb and Kallal’s (1992) Functional Expressive and Aesthetics (FEA) Consumer Needs Model.

In addition, the apparel piece had to be inspired by artwork on exhibit at the campus fine arts museum. At the beginning of the project, students visited the museum galleries and were led through a slow-looking activity, as described above, by a museum educator. Afterward, students were allowed to explore the museum individually and find a museum exhibit.

Once students selected a museum exhibit to observe, they independently repeated the

Figure 1. USU student designer Saxton Hanson with his apparel design, Lady in the Sun Note. Inspirational Artwork by Richard Bowman, Kinetograph #5, 1950, Oil and fluorescent lacquer on canvas, Gift of the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation.

Comment by student: I chose this art piece because it spoke hope and happiness to me. My brain raced with many possibilities; the hints of red, the sparks of gold, and the softness of the pleasant blue. The hope of a bright happiness became a reality when it hit the paper, and slowly came to life. - Saxton Hansen

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exhibit, which they referenced during the design process used in creating their half-scale design.

The design challenge also required students to pattern and produce their half-scale design along with oral and written descriptions to be used for a museum gallery show. Students worked with the museum education specialist to display their half-scale designs. The half-scale designs were displayed next to the museum artifact during an event for public viewing. Figure 1 and Figure 2 show two examples of student designs produced for the first gallery event. A virtual show was created during the pandemic and can be viewed at this link (Exhibitions, 2020).

Figure 2. USU student Jenna Battaglia, with her apparel design, Untitled Note. Inspirational Artwork by Robert Ormerod Presusser, Kinetic Counterpoise, 1940, Oil and collage on paper on wood panel, Gift of the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation.

Comment by student: I was immediately inspired by the color and line work in this piece. The faded blue background reminded me of denim, and the bright, colorful shapes were reminiscent of patches. I gathered scraps of fabric and cut them down into similar shapes from the painting, some pieces of fabric I even painted on. Once I had the pieces laid out on the denim, I worked with different stitch lengths and widths to embroider the lines. I layered them and attempted to shade the piece with combinations of thread on top of each other - Jenna Battaglia slow-looking steps (observe, question, system thinking, sketching, and reflecting). In many instances, students returned to the museum for additional object study or took pictures of the

Impact on Student Learning and Engagement When students in the patternmaking course utilized non-traditional objects as their source of inspiration to create an apparel item that met customers’ needs identified in the FEA model laid out by Lamb and Kallel (1992), critical thinking, creativity, and curiosity abounded. Slow-looking led students through a novel approach to patternmaking, creating new perspectives and ways of thinking, and formulating new ideas. Students who participated in the exhibit reported varied ideas about using museum artifacts as inspiration. Student designers highlighted some of the following:

Slow-looking led students through a novel approach to patternmaking, creating new perspectives and ways of thinking, and formulating new ideas.

• Unconventional materials were applied to designs • Designing a functional product that embraces aesthetics necessitates being mindful of the process • Distinctive approaches to thinking were required to create original and functional designs Instructors can adapt OBL strategies that use non-traditional objects in apparel and textiles courses to spark new and emerging conversations

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and ideas; indeed, this is needed to help solve the problems and issues occurring and ever present in the apparel and fashion industries.

References Banning, J., & Gam, H. J., (2020). Object-based learning in a world dress course. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 48(4), 343–358. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12362 Beene, S., & Thompson, D. (2022). Focusing on slow looking: An exploration of techniques to develop critical observation habits. Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 41(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1086/719405 Diddi, S., & Marcketti, S. (2014). The role of museum exhibits in teaching textile science. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 106(1), 47–49.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2017). Circular fashion–A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashions’ future. https:// ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications Exhibitions. (2020). Fashion Inspired by NEHMA. Norma Eccles Harrison Museum of Art. https://artmuseum.usu. edu/exhibitions/fashion Eyler, J. R. (2018). How humans learn: The science and stories behind effective college teaching. West Virginia University Press.

Frigo, N. (2019). The power of things: Object-based learning in the classroom. Agora, 54(1), 29–34.

Grossnickle, E. M. (2016). Disentangle curiosity: Dimensionality, definitions, and distinctions from interest in educational contexts. Educational Psychology Review, 28(1), 23–60.

Hamblen, K. A. (1984). An art criticism questioning strategy within the framework of Bloom’s taxonomy. Studies in Art Education, 26(1), 41–50. https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu. edu/10.2307/1320799 Kang, J., & Kim, S-H. (2013). What are consumers afraid of?

Understanding perceived risk toward the consumption of environmentally sustainable apparel. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 41(3), 267–283.

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Koberg, D., & Bagnall, J. (2003). The universal traveler: A soft systems guide to creativity, problem-solving and the process of reaching goals.(3rd ed.). Crisp Publications.

Lamb, J. M., & Kallal, M. J. (1992). A conceptual framework for apparel design. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 10(2), 42–47.

Mida, I. E., & Kim, A. (2015). The dress detective: A practical guide to object-based research in fashion. Bloomsbury Publishing.

The Museum of Fine Arts. (2015, February 2). Learning through art: Observation and slow looking [Video].

Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/118514705 Oberg, C. S. (2021). When a pen is more than a pen: Objectbased learning and the value of objects as concrete referents. In B. Hokanson, M. Exter, A. Grincewicz, M. Schmidt, & A. A. Tawfik (Eds.), Learning: Design, engagement and definition. Educational communications and technology: Issues and innovations (pp. 239–247).

Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85078-4_19 Object Based Learning. (n.d.). Object-based learning (OBL) in higher education. https://www.flinders.edu.au/ museum-of-art/object-based-learning-toolkit/obl-highereducation Project Zero. (n.d.) Slow looking. Toolkit for inquiry driven innovation. http://www.pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/ files/CCI%20Slow%20Looking.pdf Roach-Higgins, M. E., & Eicher, J. (1992). Dress and identity. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 10(4), 1–8. https://journals. sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0887302X9201000401 Straughan-Navarro, R. M. (2020). Thinking about object-based teaching and learning. TPS Collective. https://tpscollective.org/notes-from-the-field/thinking-about-objectbased-teaching-and-learning/ Tishman, S. (2018). Slow looking: The art and practice of learning through observation. Routledge.

Watkins, S. M. (1988). Using the design process to teach functional apparel design. Clothing and Textile Research Journal. 7(1), 10–14.

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Creating a “Say Yes to FCS” Teaching Camp To Address the Critical FCS Teacher Shortage in a Local Community Cynthia L. Miller Karen L. Alexander Kyle L. Roberson Amanda Holland Gencie Houy Melanie D. Schmitt Minerva D.Tuliao

This article presents a study that explored the implementation of a “Say Yes to FCS” Teaching Camp, a local community initiative in Texas, to address the critical shortage of family and consumer sciences (FCS) teachers in secondary schools. Aimed at incoming 9th- and 10th-grade students, the 4-day camp offered hands-on learning experiences across various FCS-related secondary courses, mentorship from local FCS educators, and insights into the diverse career paths within the field. Despite not significantly increasing the participants’ interest in pursuing the FCS teaching profession, the camp was positively received, prompting interest in FCS-related highschool courses. In addition, this study emphasizes the necessity of evaluating the camp’s success and Cynthia L. Miller, PhD, CFCS, CPFFE (cynthia.l.miller@ ttu.edu) is Assistant Professor; Karen L. Alexander, PhD, CFCS, is Associate Professor/Program Chair; Kyle L. Roberson, PhD, is Assistant Professor; Amanda Holland, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Practice; Gencie Houy, PhD, is Lecturer; Melanie D. Schmitt, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Practice; and Minerva D. Tuliao, PhD, is Lecturer. All authors are in the Family & Consumer Sciences Education Department at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.

adjusting strategies to ensure this initiative increases participants’ interest in pursuing an FCS teaching profession in the future.

A 2020 report by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) showed a critical shortage of secondary family and consumer sciences (FCS) teachers in Texas. One way the TEA is working to address this teacher shortage, among others, is through initiatives such as the Grow Your Own (GYO) program, which “aims to build strong, stable, and diverse teacher pipelines from within their own communities through two distinct pathways” (Texas Education Agency, 2022a, para. 1). The purpose of this program is to “address teacher shortages in hard-to-staff areas, close demographic gaps between students and teachers, and build interest in the teaching profession among highschool students” (Texas Education Agency, 2022a, para. 1). The GYO program provides competitive grants to school districts to implement this program through the Education and Training Program of Study in high schools and through the transition of candidates such as paraprofessionals, instructional aides, and long-term substitutes to

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full-time teaching roles (Texas Education Agency,

2022a). TEA was permitted by the State Board of Education to allow any certified classroom teacher or administrator, not just certified FCS teachers, to teach courses in the Education and Training Career Cluster area (Texas Education Agency, 2022b). This has significantly affected the recruitment of students into the FCS teaching profession because most of them are encouraged to pursue teaching in core academic fields (e.g., English, math, science, and social studies) at the elementary- and middle-school levels. This is evident from the low enrollment in current FCS teacher-educator preparation programs at the university level and the increasing number of secondary FCS programs closing across Texas due to the shortage of new FCS educators (Jones, 2020).

At the national level, the National Partnership for Recruiting, Preparing, and Supporting FCS Educators (2018) enhanced the “Say Yes to FCS” campaign as part of a grant to provide new materials and resources for recruiting and retaining FCS educators in secondary schools, cooperative extension, and higher education. The purpose of this campaign was to raise awareness of the shortage of FCS educators and increase enrollment in university FCS teacher preparation programs (National Partnership for Recruiting, Preparing, and Supporting FCS Educators, 2018). How effective has this campaign been in recruiting new FCS educators across Texas? According to a research study by Jones (2020), none of the FCS faculty in Texas had measures in place to ensure the effectiveness of the “Say Yes to FCS” campaign as a marketing tool in their programs.

Development of the “Say Yes to FCS” Teaching Camp This prompted the need to look at another alternative for recruiting students to the FCS teaching profession in addition to recruiting them at various local, state, and national FCS-related events.

There is also a need to alleviate the FCS secondary-education-to-higher-education pipeline problems among underrepresented minority students.

The majority of the students enrolled in Texas Tech University’s FCS education undergraduate program were predominately White (75%) (TTU Institutional Research, 2021). To address these

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two problems, the Texas Tech University Family and Consumer Sciences Education (TTU FCSE) Program decided to provide a 4-day summer FCS teaching camp that afforded incoming 9th - and 10th -grade students the following experiences: (a) learning engaging teaching strategies to use in developing and teaching various FCS-related lessons; (b) learning from and interacting with guest speakers from FCS-related education areas (e.g., cooperative extension, postsecondary education, prison education, community education) from various racial/ethnic backgrounds; and (c) having local FCS educators mentor students in developing their micro-teaching lessons. Two reasons we chose to invite incoming 9th- and 10th-grade students were (1) the 4-year graduation plan (e.g., Individual and Academic Career Plan) they are required to develop for a career path they will follow throughout high school, and (2) the need to work earlier with secondary students rather than waiting until they are in 11th or 12th grade. In addition, the TTU FCSE Program chose to collaborate with the local school district’s FCS Education and Training teacher because of the continuous drop in enrollment in this program. Furthermore, the local school district’s student demographics are 60% Hispanic, 26% White, and 14% Black (Lubbock Independent School District, 2023).

There is also a need to alleviate the FCS secondary-education-to-highereducation pipeline problems among underrepresented minority students.

Our first step was to develop a name for the camp that addressed the three experiences we wanted to provide students with, which led to the “Say Yes to FCS” Teaching Camp title. We decided to provide six camp sessions to introduce students to the diverse field of the FCS teaching profession, as well as a camp session on building effective communication and team-building skills needed as a future FCS educator. The following is a list of these camp sessions:

• Family Ties (Child Development) • Wellness for Your Body and Mind (Counseling and Mental Health) • Cooking Up a Plan (Culinary Arts) • It’s Pay Day (Dollars and Sense) • Sew Much Fun to Be Had (Fashion Design) • Don’t Cramp My Style (Interior Design) • Making Connections: Team-Building Challenge Next, we chose to offer this camp from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. during the second week of June so we would not interfere with family vacations. The location for the 3 days of our camp was the local school district’s Career and Technical Education Advanced Technology Center, which houses the Education and Training program. On the fourth day of the camp, the students were at TTU’s College of Human Sciences, where they had the opportunity to view the TTU FCSE program and visit the Culinary Lab and Mental Counseling program for two camp sessions.

After developing our ideas for the camp sessions in collaboration with the FCS Education and Training teacher and choosing the time and location for the camp, we designed a flyer that promoted this camp with the help of our college’s Office of Marketing and Communications Department. Next, the flyers were mailed to all secondary principals within the local school district, as well as secondary FCS teachers. We had a total of 27 registrations for this camp, which included students from the local school district and a few other students from nearby school districts in Lubbock County. This camp also was advertised for faculty and staff on our university campus; therefore, this may be the reason why other students registering for this camp were from other school districts in Lubbock County. At the camp, 15 students participated, with only one of them missing the last day of the camp. Of these 15 students, 60% represented a minority (Hispanic and Black). We lost a few of the students the week of the camp due to the Lubbock Independent School District’s sudden decision to provide a 2-week summer school session for students who had not passed one or more state-mandated tests in academic areas.

Implementation of the “Say Yes to FCS” Teaching Camp Our agenda for this camp included students participating in three camp sessions for two of the camp days by rotating to each camp session every 50 minutes, with a 5-minute break. Each camp session provided an interactive activity in which students created or participated to keep them actively engaged in each session. One of the camp sessions, “Sew Much Fun to Be Had,” required both camp days to complete their sewing project.

On the third camp day, the students prepared their micro-teaching lessons in the morning with the help of the FCS educators and resources. Then, they taught their lessons individually or as a team in the afternoon to other students. The lunches for the three camp days were provided by restaurants that were supportive of secondary FCS programs.

During lunch, they learned from invited guest FCS professionals (e.g., a panel of FCS secondary and postsecondary educators, a prison educator, and a cooperative extension service educator) about other areas where they could teach.

On the fourth camp day, students were at the College of Human Sciences at TTU, where they were welcomed by the FCSE faculty at the Curriculum Center for Family & Consumer Sciences.

They were then taken to a culinary lab within the college’s Hospitality Program, where they met and learned from a registered dietician about her job as a community educator for a grocery store chain.

This community educator also showed students how to create a special salsa they would eat after creating a Taco Stack in the culinary lab, which would serve as their lunch. Students were divided into four groups to prepare a particular aspect of the Taco Stack with the aid of postsecondary FCS teacher educators: Group 1 cooked taco meat; Group 2 created the queso dip and cut various vegetables; Group 3 cooked fajita chicken; and Group 4 created dessert tortillas. After lunch, the students were taken to the university’s Center for Addiction Recovery Research, where they participated in various activities to better understand how the mental health profession looked at new ways of helping those with addiction and recovery issues.

The cost of implementing this camp was paid through a $6,000 internal grant we received from

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our College of Human Sciences, which aided by not charging any of the students registered to participate in this camp. Our registration maximum for this camp was 30 students to ensure that we could afford everything we had planned for the camp. This grant also helped pay for supplies that could be used in future camps, a stipend for the FCS Education and Training teacher, bus transportation, and FCS/FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) swag items that we gave to students at the end of the camp.

Results of the “Say Yes to FCS” Teaching Camp After receiving Institutional Review Board approval, we asked the students to complete a pre-and post-camp survey, and we conducted a focus group interview with them to learn what they enjoyed about the camp, what could be improved in the camp, and whether the camp increased their interest in pursuing the FCS education profession.

The results indicated that all the students thoroughly enjoyed the camp and felt it needed to be a 5-day camp, as well as having the camp entirely at TTU’s College of Human Sciences. Several students also wanted to come back and participate in the camp again because of the opportunities they had to connect and build relationships with each other during the camp. The results did not show an increased interest in pursuing the FCS teaching profession but did show that students were very interested in taking courses taught by FCS teachers at the high-school level. This informed the TTU FCSE faculty to look at better strategies to show students why teaching in FCS is important in our society today.

The results indicated that all the students thoroughly enjoyed the camp and felt it needed to be a 5-day camp, as well as having the camp entirely at TTU’s College of Human Sciences.

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Conclusion In conclusion, despite the growing crisis of family and consumer sciences teacher shortages in Texas, a couple of initiatives are making strides to address this issue. The TEA’s Grow Your Own program and the “Say Yes to FCS” campaign both aim to inspire new educators to enter the profession. However, a key challenge remains: the lack of evaluation of these initiatives’ effectiveness. To bolster recruitment, TTU’s FCS Education Program developed the “Say Yes to FCS” Teaching Camp. This unique experience gave incoming high-school students insights into the FCS teaching profession. Although the camp did not directly increase interest in pursuing the FCS teaching profession, it did enhance student interest in FCS high-school courses, signaling the need for more strategic efforts to demonstrate the importance and appeal of teaching FCS as a career choice. As we continue to improve our camp for future offerings, we can connect with more schools involved in the Grow Your Own program to recruit interested campers. Additionally, opportunities to follow up with previous campers can be planned to determine their ongoing college and career decisions. Moving forward, efforts such as the camp could be crucial in tackling the shortage of FCS teachers and ensuring a thriving, diverse, and sustainable FCS education landscape in Texas.

To bolster recruitment,TTU’s FCS Education Program developed the “Say Yes to FCS” Teaching Camp.

References Jones, M. (2020). Determining the success of Say Yes to FCS as a family and consumer sciences marketing and recruitment tool…is it working? [Doctoral dissertation, Texas Tech University]. TTU Texas Digital Library. https://ttu-ir.tdl. org/bitstream/handle/2346/86667/JONES-DISSERTA TION-2020.pdf?sequence=1 Lubbock Independent School District. (2023). Lubbock ISD demographics: Student population. https://coredocs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_ file/3628/LISD/3007819/2023_Demographics.pdf

National Partnership for Recruiting, Preparing, and Supporting FCS Educators. (2018). Commit to becoming a Family & Consumer Sciences Educator: Say Yes to FCS! https://www.fcsed.net/recruit/recruit-commit Texas Education Agency. (2020). 2020-2021 Teacher shortage areas and loan forgiveness programs. https://tea.texas. gov/about-tea/news-and-multimedia/correspondence/ taa-letters/2020-2021-teacher-shortage-areas-and-loanforgiveness-programs

Texas Education Agency. (2022a). Grow Your Own. https://tea.t exas.gov/texas-educators/educator-initiatives-andperformance/educator-initiatives/grow-your-own Texas Education Agency. (2022b). Teacher assignment chart. https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/tac_231_chart. pdf Texas Tech University Institutional Research. (2021). Fact Book: Enrollment. https://techdata.irs.ttu.edu/Factbook/Enrollment/ENRCOLL.aspx

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Further Thoughts on FCS and Montessori Collaboration Sue L.T. McGregor Gail T. Ryan Longo

In 2022, this journal published our paper titled Where Visions Meet: Ellen Swallow Richards and Maria Montessori (McGregor & Ryan-Longo, 2022).

As a follow up, we want to share further thoughts on the notion of collaboration between the family and consumer sciences (FCS) profession (also home economics, human ecology, family studies, consumer sciences, and home sciences) and Montessori schools (https://www.mmlcc.org/) We remain driven by the query How do we revitalize the powers that were born in the times of these great women scientists who faced problems that remain with us today? What reasoning and argumentation would entice contemporary Montessori schools and FCS practitioners (educators) to collaborate?

Powerful, visionary women came together in the early 1900s to create home economics. They imagined a powerful discipline and profession that would address many great problems having an impact on individuals, family, and home. Ellen Swallow Richards, a chemist and scientist, led this

Sue L. T. McGregor, PhD, IPHE (sue.mcgregor@msvu.ca) is professor emerita, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She is an independent scholar, researcher, policy analyst, and educator for McGregor Consulting Group in Seabright, Nova Scotia, Canada. She is a past interim editor and associate editor of this journal. Gail T. Ryan Longo is Director of the Maria Montessori Language and Cultural Center in Seattle, WA.

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initiative. Maria Montessori, also a scientist and educator, worked alone at the turn of the century to develop a novel approach to teaching children in specially designed learning environments using specially designed curricula and pedagogy. Both women focused on human development, one at the home and family level and the other at the childhood level.

In our first article, we made the case for FCS and Montessori educators working together given their parallel interests. We shared a working example of a highly successful 7-year collaboration in the Seattle, Washington, area. It involved highschool FCS students interning in a Montessori school and working with children using the Montessori method while learning the FCS curriculum (McGregor & Ryan-Longo, 2022). But nothing similar has happened since then, and we wondered what else we could say that might change this fact.

The world needs both FCS and the Montessori method. The former values and advocates home and family and their optimal well-being, and the latter values and advocates for children and their development and potential. Children grow up and create families of their own, and the cycle continues.

Collaboration between FCS and Montessori education makes sense. Combined imagination and vision help form new relationships and connect ideas. FCS has always been open to making new and necessary connections and is receptive to

new possibilities and eventualities that favor home and family. Forging partnerships between Montessori early learning centers and FCS in public schools and on university and college campuses is a timely and innovative way forward. High-school students (adolescents) and university youth (young adults) would work with certified Montessori educators and mentors while meeting their public school or university FCS curricular requirements.

This is a win-win situation.

It is also a feasible situation because FCS curricula include childhood and human development, and Montessori educators know that most children grow up in a home environment within some sort of familial arrangement. Both FCS and Montessori educators are concerned with early childhood education and believe it is paramount. Indeed, the national standards for FCS education (taught in junior and senior high) include Standard 4: Education and Early Childhood (National Association of State Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences [NASAFACS], 2018).

Both FCS and Montessori educators are concerned with early childhood education and believe it is paramount.

If Standard 4 is taught as intended, FCS students would learn about (a) child development theories; (b) tools for observing and assessing children’s growth and development; (c) cultural and environmental influences on children’s development; (d) children’s developmental needs and strategies to promote healthy growth and development; (e) creating a safe and healthy learning environment; and (f) building and maintaining healthy and positive relationships so children can effectively engage with adolescents, youth, adults, and community members (NASAFACS, 2018).

But more than that, depending on the scope of a school’s integrated, interdisciplinary, and holistic

FCS curricula, the students also might be learning about foods and nutrition, clothing and textiles, consumption and personal finances, resource management, housing/shelter and household management, family dynamics, and parenting. Ideally, FCS students will hone their problem-solving, decisionmaking, planning, critical and creative thinking, communication, management, leadership, personal reflection, and interpersonal relationship skills.

These higher order skills and thought processes are intended to serve them in all life endeavors (NASAFACS, 2018).

Regardless of age level, the integrated and interdisciplinary Montessori curriculum is divided into five core subjects: language, practical life, sensorial, cultural, and mathematics. Language (literacy skills, grammar, oral and written language) runs through the entire curriculum. Practical life concerns independence (self-control, self-discipline, self-awareness, and self-confidence); social skills; and environmental stewardship. Sensorial activities also thread through the entire curriculum and help children refine all senses as they engage with color, texture, shape, weight, and dimension. Cultural content helps them explore their world and includes the sciences, history, art, and music. More than numbers (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), mathematics helps students move from concrete to abstract ideas (Global Montessori Network, 2022; Montessori Academy, 2023).

Pedagogically, children progress at their own pace based on their stage of development and their interests. The intent is to enhance self-worth, foster self-confidence, gain independence, and learn through experimentation without fear of failing.

Students gain critical-thinking, creative-thinking, and problem-solving skills, which are considered generic abilities they can take into life. Educators strive to not overwhelm learners with too much information and instead tailor everything to meet each child’s learning needs (Global Montessori Network, 2022; Montessori Academy, 2023).

Implementing a collaborative educational experience between FCS and Montessori training is a powerful opportunity for (a) FCS students to encounter the unique learning environment that is created in a Montessori learning center and (b) the children to encounter the unique collection

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of knowledge and the integrative, interdisciplinary, and holistic philosophy that underpins FCS learning. Through a Labschool (as it was called in Seattle), high-school students can give their attention to the little ones as they observe critical periods of a child’s life. They concurrently have opportunities to bring what they are learning in their FCS classrooms into the children’s lives and learning experiences and vice versa (McGregor & Ryan-Longo, 2022).

The children are interested in everything about the world. High-school students should be, but they can be sidetracked, jaded, and skeptical about life. Both children’s and teenagers’ brains are still developing. Fortunately, these collaborative learning experiences and life encounters benefit everyone. In some manner, shape, or form, all students involved (the very young and the slightly older) have the chance to learn about themselves, and they learn about and from each other. Highschool students learn about human growth and development both in hindsight and firsthand in their encounters with children engaged with the Montessori curriculum (McGregor & Ryan-Longo, 2022).

In addition to separate but aligned curricula as described above, these collaborations would be scaffolded with orientations: (a) Montessori educators would be oriented to FCS; (b) FCS educators and high-school students would be oriented to the Montessori approach; and (c) invited, third-party professionals would teach respective content as relevant to the situation (e.g., brain development, child-centered pedagogy, child psychology, and teen psychology).

If the Labschool served as an internship or service-learning experience for the high-school students, FCS teachers could design a standalone course, or the learning experience could be project-based and part of an FCS course (e.g., a child development course, or a foods and nutrition course). The FCS teacher, Montessori learning center educator, the high-school students and, yes, even the children, could all be involved in the course or project assessment and evaluation should the FCS student need a grade to meet school, school board, or state curriculum requirements.

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We live in a new era—different from the turn of the century when these two powerful women conceived FCS and the Montessori approach— but we can benefit and learn from traditions that offer structure to our understanding. Traditions help transmit beliefs from one generation to another. They provide a source of identity, tell us where we came from, and remind us of what shaped our lives thus far. They connect generations into the future (Watts, 2017). More than 100 years ago, Richards and Montessori ardently believed in home and the development of family and children, respectively, and their beliefs have stood the test of time.

The world needs creativity and imagination to address the myriad problems facing humanity.

And Ellen Swallow Richards and Maria Montessori drew on both faculties when they created their innovative approaches to children, family, and the home. Nothing is stopping us from following in their footsteps—from learning from tradition—except perhaps small-p political will.

We must locate nonprofit Montessori early learning centers that are interested in connecting with FCS high-school or college campuses to create new Labschools and vice versa. Montessori schools can serve public school or university students, and the latter can serve Montessori school students.

We must locate nonprofit Montessori early learning centers that are interested in connecting with FCS high-school or college campuses to create new Labschools and vice versa.

Students (children, adolescents, and young adults) will benefit. The FCS profession and Montessori educators will benefit. FCS schools and campuses and Montessori learning centers will benefit. Families, communities, and society will benefit. With so many winners, it is time to make this happen.

References Global Montessori Network. (2022, October 21). What is included in the Montessori curriculum? Global Montessori Network Blog. https://theglobalmontessorinetwork. org/what-is-included-in-the-montessori-curriculum/?nowprocket=1 McGregor, S. L. T., & Ryan-Longo, G. T. (2022). Where visions meet: Ellen Swallow Richards and Maria Montessori. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 114(3), 34–37. https://doi.org/10.14307/JFCS114.3.34

Montessori Academy. (2023). Montessori curriculum. https:// montessoriacademy.com.au/montessori-education/ montessori-curriculum National Association of State Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences. (2018). Family and consumer sciences national standards 3.0. http://www.leadfcsed.org/ uploads/1/8/3/9/18396981/national_standards_for_fcs.pdf Watts, N. (2017, December 14). Four reasons why traditions matter. Ogilvy Asia Blog. https://www.ogilvyasia.com/ topics/topics-features/four-reasons-why-traditions-matter/

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