FACS Curriculum Timeline

By Austin_Parton

  • First FACS Textbook

    First FACS Textbook
    Catherine Beecher wrote "A Treatise of Domestic Economy" the first FACS textbook. I feel this is an important moment because it makes FACS seem like a legitimate subject. Textbooks are usually very credible sources of information that are backed up by reviews and contain up to date information concerning a specific field.

  • Morrill Act of 1862

    Morrill Act of 1862
    Provided grants of land to states to finance the establishment of colleges specializing in “agriculture and the mechanic arts.” This lead to the creation of Land Grant Universities. A land-grant college or university is an institution that has been designated by its state legislature or Congress to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862, 1890, and 1994. The University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff are Land Grant Universities in Arkansas.

  • Carolyn Hunt

    Carolyn Hunt
    In 1888 she received a degree in chemistry.

  • Rumford's Kitchen

    Rumford's Kitchen
    Established at the 1894 Chicago World's Fair.

  • Lake Placcid Conference

    Lake Placcid Conference
    Home Economics was adopted as the name for the new profession.

  • Martha Rensselaer

    Martha Rensselaer
    Developed extension services in 1900.

  • W.O. Atwater died

    W.O. Atwater died
    He is credited with developing the Atwater system, laying the groundwork, in the 19th century, for the science of nutrition in the United States and inspiring modern Olympic nutrition.

  • AHEA was formed

    In January of 1909, the American Home Economics Association (AHEA) was formed.

  • Smith Lever Act of 1914

    Created the Cooperative Extension Service including FACS.

  • Smith Hughes Act of 1917

    Established FACS as part of Vocational (CTE) Education.

  • American Dietetics Association

    American Dietetics Association
    The ADA was created in 1917 because a group of people saw a need for nutritional education.

  • Symbol adopted

    Symbol adopted
    In 1926, the American Home Economics Association adopted the Betty Lamp as a symbol for the association. The lamp derived its name from the German word "besser" or "bête", meaning "to make better".

  • George Deen Act

    George Deen Act of 1936 provided the first federal aid for vocational training of workers and sales personnel.

  • Vocational Education Act of 1963

    Provided grants to states to maintain, improve, and develop vocational-technical education programs.

  • Vocational Amendment of 1968

    The Vocational Education Amendments of 1968 extend the work of the 1963 amendments, but the emphasis has changed from occupations to people. National and state advisory councils are required. In addition each state must submit a plan consisting of administrative policies and procedures and an annual and 5-year program plan.

  • The federal Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973

    The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, in programs receiving federal financial assistance, in federal employment and in the employment practices of federal contractors.

  • Vocational Amendment of 1976

    Required states receiving federal funding for vocational education to develop and carry out activities and programs to eliminate gender bias, stereotyping, and discrimination in vocational education.

  • Organizational name change

    Organizational name change
    In 1993, modern home economists met in Scottsdale, Arizona to define the role of the field in the new millennium. As a result of the Scottsdale conference, the name of the AHEA was changed to the American Association of Family and Consumer Science (AAFCS).

  • Name change from Home Economics to Family and Consumer Science

    In 1994 leading organizations and programs made the decision to change the name of the field as a whole to family and consumer science, leaving the home economics label in the past.

  • Financial Literacy and Education Improvement Act in 2003

    Legislation passed that set up a commission tasked with the mission of raising financial literacy nationwide. Twenty four states now require some form of personal finance education.

  • Carl Perkins Act

    The new Act will provide an increased focus on the academic achievement of career and technical education students, strengthen the connections between secondary and post secondary education, and improve state and local accountability.