Family and Consumer Sciences Cooperative Education provides an instructional program of two or three units of credit designed to develop employability skills and personal traits and to give an orientation to employment in Family and Consumer Sciences related occupations and careers. One unit of credit is earned for each period of classroom study at school. One additional unit of credit is earned for qualified on-the-job training.

NOTE: Cooperative Education is a method of instruction which requires alternating study in school with on-the-job training in an identified occupational career field.

Specialized Family and Consumer Sciences occupational education programs include, but are not limited to, the following areas: child care, fashion design and clothing production, commercial foods, home furnishings, home management, industrial services, and hospitality careers. Sometimes a combination of the above subject areas will be taught by group instruction, and student-trainees will be placed at training stations related to various fields of study.

In addition to meeting the minimum standards for establishing and operating cooperative education programs, FACSCE programs use the appropriate core curriculum for group instruction. Individual study materials are used to develop specific competencies relating to each student-trainee's career objective. The teacher-coordinator sponsors an FCCLA career and technology education student organization.

PROCEDURE IN SETTING UP A FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM:

In addition to meeting the minimum standards for establishing and operating a cooperative program, the following operational rules apply.

Family and Consumer Sciences Cooperative Education I & II are offered. FACSCE I is offered on the junior and senior level for two semesters and FACSCE II is offered on the senior level for two semesters. Class limit--15-18 students.

Students under eighteen must have a work permit. The principal of the high school is the official that issues work permits. The occupation that the students choose to receive training in must be Family and Consumer Sciences related.

Students can receive two hours credit if they attend class one hour daily and work a minimum of ten hours a week. Three hours credit can be earned if they attend class in a two-hour block daily plus work a minimum of ten hours a week.

Students work an average of ten hours a week for a minimum of thirty weeks. Their total amount of school hours plus their weekly work load cannot exceed forty hours a week. Example: If they are carrying six subjects that amounts to thirty hours of school a week plus ten work hours equals forty hours a week. These ten hours of work per week can be done some each day or all in two or three days including weekends.

A folder is kept at school on each student with job information including:
a) Memorandum of Training (everyone's responsibilities)
b) Training Plan (competencies required of trainee)
c) Hours worked
d) Money paid
e) Place(s) of employment

Teacher-Coordinator (Instructor) makes an on-site visit a minimum of one time per grading period. This is done on teachers' coordination period (1 or 2 hours daily). This period is in addition to the conference period.

Teacher-Coordinator (Instructor) works with employer concerning students job skills, behavior and attitude, appearance, habits, ability to work with employer, co-workers, public, etc.

Teacher-Coordinator (Instructor) is to sponsor an FCCLA organization and have a program advisory committee including as members, representatives of business, industry, labor, and the community.

During Teacher-Coordinators (Instructors) extended employment period one responsibility is to identify and secure new training stations for the coming year and to evaluate past/present training stations (input from employers).

Some jobs students are trained to do are: child care aide, cooks helper, waiter/waitress, food stocker, cashier/clerk in fabric store, residential house cleaner, alteration aide, institutional housekeeper (hotel/motel, hospitals, state lodges).

Suggested textbooks for Family and Consumer Sciences Cooperative Education I: