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By Lori Myers

The American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) is the only professional association that provides leadership and support to family and consumer sciences students and professionals from both multiple practice settings and content areas.  AAFCS members assist individuals, families, and communities in making informed decisions about their well-being, relationships, and resources to achieve optimal quality of life

With the economic challenges facing individuals, families and communities, there is a great need and desire for personal and family finance education. Increasingly states are mandating these courses at the secondary level to help improve financial literacy and outcomes for future generations. More and more community-based organizations are also providing personal finance education for youth and adults.  Having a solid assessment tool to assure that programs are effectively preparing individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful management of their personal and family finances is critical.

At the same time, it has become increasingly important for professionals to validate their knowledge and demonstrate ongoing professional development through certification programs. In response to the growing emphasis on effective financial literacy and the need to ensure that educators, regardless of practice setting or discipline of content background, are highly qualified to teach this subject, AAFCS proudly offers a national pre-professional assessment and certification for students and a professional credential for personal and family finance educators.

Certified Personal and Family Finance Educator (CPFFE) Credential
The Certified Personal and Family Finance Educator (CPFFE) credential is the ultimate validation of quality assurance and professional stature for those involved in providing personal finance education to America’s youth and adults.  Regardless of area of training of the educator (family and consumer sciences, social studies, economics, mathematics, etc.), the CPFFE credential establishes the credibility and competence necessary to teach personal finance content that is consistent with the United States Department of Treasury Financial Education Core Competencies and the National Standards for Personal Financial Education published by Jump$tart and the Council for Economic Education.  Click here to learn more about the CPFFE professional certification.

Personal and Family Finance Pre-Professional Assessment & Certification (Pre-PAC) 
AAFCS offers a Personal and Family Finance national assessment and corresponding industry certification that is a reliable tool to validate student competency and to measure the effectiveness of personal finance education programs.  The Personal and Family Finance certification emphasizes the knowledge and skills necessary for success in managing personal and family financial matters in daily life. The certification documents student achievement of financial literacy competencies required for high school graduation and validates competencies required for employment. The Personal and Family Finance certification is aligned to the National Standards for Personal Financial Education developed by Jump$tart and Council for Economic Education(CEE). The Personal and Family Finance certification is appropriate for programs in secondary and post-secondary education, community-based education, and employer-based staff development.   Click here to learn more information regarding the Pre-PAC in Personal and Family Finance.

Find us in the Jump$tart Clearinghouse!

AAFCS is committed to (1) connecting professionals to professional development opportunities and resources and to a network of peers to share best practices and strategies; (2) ensuring high-quality personal and family finance educators and effective financial literacy educational programs; and (3) partnering with other organizations and entities. Please contact us if you are interested in:

  • Earning the CPFFE credential or offering the PFFE exam at your next conference;
  • Evaluating financial literacy programs with the use of Pre-PAC;
  • Presenting or sponsoring a webinar on a relevant financial literacy topic;
  • Collaborating on a financial literacy project or activity; or
  • Sharing your resources as an exhibitor or sponsor for the 2023 Annual Conference to be held June 22-26 in Baltimore, MD.

Contact:
Nancy Bock
Executive Director

Lori A. Myers, CFCS
Senior Director:  Credentialing, Education & Research

Partners: Schedule your 2023 Financial Fridays newsletter by emailing Jessica.cultra@jumpstart.org!

It’s not too late to give towards our Giving Tuesday campaign. For ways to support the Jump$tart Coalition, please visit us hereThanks in advance for your continued support. “Moving financial literacy forward” is a group effort and we are glad to have you with us on the journey!