Call Number:

MSS 0597

Repository:

University of Delaware Library Special Collections

Extent:

5 linear foot (5 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

MSS 0597, Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences records, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

Date:

1923-2011 (inclusive)

Creator:

Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences

Form:

correspondence, Clippings (information artifacts), Newsletters, Minutes (administrative records), Financial records, Publications (document genre), Programs (documents), Ephemera (general), and Local histories

Abstract:

The records of the Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences include correspondence, minutes of meetings, reports, financial files, newsletters and other material which document the functions and activities of this statewide professional organization.

The Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences originated at a meeting in Dover, Delaware, on an unrecorded date in 1923. Originally formed as the Delaware Home Economics Association, the organization was granted a charter with the American Home Economics Association on November 30, 1923. The association was incorporated with the state of Delaware in January 1977.

The association’s name was changed to the Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (DAFCS) in 1994 to coincide with the name change adopted by the national organization in the same year. The Delaware association shares a common vision with the national organization which is to be "the comprehensive and integrative source of knowledge and the primary voice focusing on family, individual, and community well-being."

The Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences offers professional development opportunities and practical knowledge on a variety of topics, such as human growth and development, personal behavior, housing and environment, food and nutrition, apparel and textiles, and resource management. Work in these areas is done through educational programing, by influencing public policy, and through communication.

The Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, with the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the College of Education and Public Policy (both, University of Delaware), is an annual co-sponsor of the Marion H. Steele Symposium, which features student research papers in the field.

Nesbitt, Anne.History of the Delaware Home Economics Association 1923-1973. s.l.: s.n., 1973.Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Policy & Procedures Handbook. s.l.: s.n., August 1997.Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Newsletter, March 2002.

The records of the Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences include correspondence, minutes of meetings, reports, financial files, newsletters, and other material which document the functions and activities of this statewide professional organization.

Records in this collection provide a history of the Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences from its beginning in 1923, as the Delaware Home Economics Association, through present day. Documents detail the association's professional development opportunities for its members, efforts to promote the profession, and outreach in support of families and individuals in communities in Delaware.

The first series of records document the history, incorporation, and development of the organization's constitution and bylaws, as well as the occasional revisions to the bylaws in later years.

The second series of this collection consists of records which primarily focus on the organizational life of the Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. In this series are found financial records, executive board and committee files, and files which reflect the association's relationship to the national association and other organizations and agencies. There are complete files of the association's minutes of meetings, correspondence files, and fairly complete files kept by DAFCS Presidents between 1972 and 1992. Annual reports and membership rosters, budgets and other business records are found in this series.

The third series in the collection comprises material which provides a record of the numerous activities, educational programs, events and communications offered by the association. Files related to the annual Marion H. Steele Symposium are available, as well as newsletters from 1943 through 2007. The newsletters chronicle the association's legislative efforts (e.g. advocating for health care for minor or child care issues), public awareness campaigns, and educational events for members.