About Family Economics & Financial Education

Family Economics & Financial Education is able to provide educators with quality curriculum materials for no-cost and on going training and professional development opportunities through our partnering relationships. The project is proud to partner with the following organizations: Take Charge America, Inc., The University of Arizona, National Council on Economic Education and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America.

Take Charge America, Inc.: Credit Counseling and Debt Managementprovides the project with a generous annual grant. The funding supports the dissemination of curriculum materials through our Web site, and scholarships for educators to attend the national annual training in Tucson, AZ. The annual grant also provides for the FEFE staff and its ability to develop, test, edit and evaluate curriculum materials on a regular basis.

Montana State University formally provided office space and administrative support to the project and faculty support which enhanced the project’s ability to produce up-to-date, unbiased family economics and finance curriculum materials.

Montana State University Personal/Family Finance and Economics Education Programs

In keeping with the land grant mission of Montana State University - Bozeman,
the program has a three-fold mission:

"To assist in providing instruction, research, and outreach to the students and community to enhance family economics and finance literacy.”

Masters in Family Financial Planning

Working together, the Great Plains - IDEA consortium developed an on-line family financial planning curriculum that lets the student do the course work at convenient times. The entire program is delivered through distance education and involves a consortium of seven state universities, including Montana State University. For more information visit the Web site http://www.montana.edu/montanagpidea/ or contact Dr. Deborah Haynes at dhaynes@montana.edu.

Accredited Financial Counseling Credentialing

An Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) is prepared at the undergraduate level and has the certified skills to assist individuals and families in the complex process of financial decision making. The Department of Health and Human Development offer three three-credit courses to prepare students for the AFC exam which is administered by the department. For more information contact Dr. Deborah Haynes at dhaynes@montana.edu.

Consumer Sciences Undergraduate Degree

Using economic and sociology theories, consumer science focuses on understanding the needs and the functioning of families and consumers as they interact with the marketplace and government. Graduates have opportunities for careers in business, government, education, and non-profit organizations.

Student Advocates for Financial Education

The Student Advocates for Financial Education (SAFE) program provides resources to tackle the problem of student indebtedness through a comprehensive program of education, research, and outreach. The office provides one-on-one peer counseling to individual MSU students who need remedial, preventative, or productive financial counseling assistance. It is used as a source of experiential learning for students who wish to become financial counselors, teachers, or adult educators in the area of personal and family finance. Finally, the office offers workshops, seminars, and small group presentations about various personal and family finance issues to MSU-Bozeman students, parents, and community members. For more information call 406.994.7223.

Montana State University Extension Service Family Economics

The Montana State University Family Economics program has numerous resources available including:

For more information contact Marsha Goetting at goetting@montana.edu

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America met with representatives from FEFE in September 2004 to form a partnership. The focus of both organizations is to improve the well being of families. Two initial goals of the partnership have been established:

National Council on Economic Education provides FEFE with funding through a grant from the United States Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement. This funding provided 17 additional scholarship opportunities for educators to attend the FEFE National Training in June 2005. Twelve educators received scholarships as part of a Teacher Training grant and five for Best Practices.