Family & Consumer Sciences

Lois Clark
Extension Educator
Family and Consumer Sciences

Our vision is:
To be recognized as a leader for enhancing the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities through research, education, and outreach.

Our values are:

• Helping people help themselves.
• Education directed toward, and jointly determined by, participants.
• Lifelong learning.
• Accessible and reliable information.
• Collaborations.
• Assets and diversity of individuals, families, and communities.

The OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences programs are focused on helping people address the following issues:

• Healthy People

• Healthy Weight Management
• Health Promotion
• Health-Care Costs
• Food Safety
• Food Security

• Healthy Relationships

  • Issues of Parenthood 
  • Early Child Care and Development  
  • Couple and Marital Relationships  
  • Aging and Relationships in Later Life
    

• Healthy Finances

• Financial Stability 
• Financial Security 
• Employment Success 

Great Resource Information

Eat Smart, Stay Healthy Theme of the American Dietetic Association focuses on the importance of nutrition and physical activity as key components of good health.

• Actively pursue variety;
• Make moderation your goal;
• Develop a personal fitness plan.

Nutrition information can be found at the ADA web site at:  http://www.eatright.org.

Information to help you meet your goals can be found in OSU Extension Fact Sheets on nutrition at the web site:  http://ohioline.osu.edu/lines/food.html

The Children, Youth and Families Education and Research Network (CYFERnet) has introduced new features and a brand new look to help you find the information you need faster regarding child health and development.  Major features of the new site include information on summer safety - see the web site at:  http://www.cyfernet.org

Out-of-School Time Activities - Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania have developed a web site for planning Out-of-School activities for children.  This web site also provides helpful activities for in-school volunteer adult mentors of youth.  See:  http://outofschool.osu.edu//

Universal Design - Whether you are building a new home or remodeling an existing home, you can incorporate characteristics of Universal Design.  See:  http://hec.osu.edu/ud/

Grandparents Role is Important!  Extension resources provide information and support for grandparents on communication, relationships and child behavior.  See the following fact sheet and web site:  http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/Benefits_Grandparenting.pdf

Learn Which Household Products Pose a Potential Health Risk to you and your family.  Look for your products by a list of products, ingredients or search the Material Safety Data Sheet for effects of products:  http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/

Food Safety Education:

The goals of the food safety education are:  to reinforce food safety educaiton and training among restaurant and food service workers; to educate the public to handle and prepare food properly at home, where food safety is equally important--whether cooking from scratch or serving take-out meals and restaurant leftovers.

For more information see:   http://www.foodsafety.gov/

OSU Extension Newsletters - now on web at:  http://fcs.osu.edu/hdfs/

Household Record-keeping Tips:  In addition to documents kept in a safe deposit box (costly or hard-to-replace items such as original birth and marriage certificates, property titles, etc.), many important records need to be filed systematically and conveniently at home.  See:  http://ohioline.osu.edu/mm-fact/0008.html

Options for Resourceful Living:  Buy fewer "extra" services (e.g., premium cable TV and/or phone options) and/or items (e.g., magazines, book/tape club memberships, etc.).  Cut down on cleaning supplies (buy products useable for more than one purpose and/or make your own from basic supplies.)  Consider renting or borrowing (rather than buying) equipment or items used infrequently.  Avoid finance charges on your credit cards.  See:  http://ohioline.osu.edu/mm-fact/0009.html

Your Net Worth:  Net worth is the dollar amount you have when you subtract everything you OWE from everything you OWN.  You will need this information when you:

• borrow money;
• apply for a home mortgage;
• determine insurance needs;
• plan your retirement;
• write your will and determine estate planning
• needs in the event of death, divorce, or
• remarriage;
• settle a divorce.  See:  http://ohioline.osu.edu/mm-fact/0010.html

As a Food Safety Expert at Iowa State University - provides answers to commonly asked food safety questions:  See:  http://www.foodsafetyanswers.org

Are you watching your weight or changing your diet?  Take a look at Nutrition Facts labels or the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Database to find out the nutrient content of specific foods.  See:  http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

New Series of fact sheets:  Ages and Stages for Caregivers.  This is a series of nine fact sheets written for child care providers that covers age-paced inforemation about development, common challenges, health and safety, and dealing with parents.  You can find the series on the Human Development and Family Science Extension website on the Growth and Development page of the Young children section under "general development."  See the following:  http://fcs.osu.edu/hdfs/stages-of-life/index.php

Estate Planning Considerations for Ohio Families:  The purpose of this website is to acquaint our Ohio readers with the issues associated with estate creation and transfer.  It can provide the basis for understanding estate planning terms and assist in outlining personal objectives.  This knowledge will be of assistance when selecting and working with estate planning counselors.  The general principles discussed here should not be applied to specific situations without the advice of an attorney.  Website:  http://ohioline.osu.edu/estate

About My Families and Me....  My Scrapbook About Living in a Stepfamily:   Becoming part of a stepfmaily can be an exciting experience.  It can also be a challenging experience.  The About My Families and Me...My Scrapbook About Living in a Stepfamily will help children share, understand and work through their feelings as they complete the activies in the scrapbook.  My Scrapbook About Living in a Stepfamily

Connections to Web Sites