The Produce Moms to do podcast series on family and consumer sciences

Teaching schoolchildren family and consumer sciences is critical, and a mini-podcast series launching May 21 will bring that point home.

The Produce Moms is partnering with a Family and Consumer Sciences Educator project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to do this series, according to a news release.

An introductory episode published May 10 is available here.

A new episode will air each week through June 25, highlighting the shortage of family and consumer science educators, the important role they play and how they are making a difference in communities nationwide. Each 30-minute episode of the podcast will be divided by the topics of recruiting, preparing and supporting family and consumer sciences educators.

The grant for the National Partnership to Recruit, Support and Prepare Family & Consumer Sciences Educators was written and awarded to address the critical shortage of family and consumer science educators.

The National Partnership mission is to recruit, prepare and support high-quality FCS educators in schools and communities, according to its website.

This field of study is focused on the science and the art of living and working well in our complex world, through disciplines such as culinary arts, hospitality, food science and nutrition, health management and wellness, human and child development, fashion and textiles, housing and interiors, and family relations. 

There has been a steady decline in the number of young people going into teaching as a profession for decades, and the pandemic has increased the number of educators retiring or leaving the profession too, Lori Taylor, The Produce Moms founder and CEO, said in a release.

“While the focus has been on recruiting educators in the core disciplines like math, science and English, there has been little focus to recruit educators in the area of family and consumer sciences,” she said. “These are not your grandmother’s family and consumer science educators who taught classes in sewing and cooking to past generations. The impact that the discipline of family and consumer sciences has on our society to teach essential skills is of the utmost importance and the implications far-reaching if that area of education were to vanish.”

The National Partnership’s goal is to spread awareness about these career opportunities and provide career preparation resources for teaching these sciences, project director Jan Bowers said in the release. Bowers is the retired dean of the School of Education and Human Ecology at the State University of New York in Oneonta, N.Y.

“The National Partnership is excited to add The Produce Moms as an esteemed partner in our work to meet state and national workforce needs and ensure that individuals are taught the essential skills to lead better lives, build strong and healthy families, and make meaningful contributions to their communities,” she said in the release.