The National Family Development Credential Program celebrates 30 years of teaching family workers across the United States the empowering skills of FDC! 

The FDC program collaborates with agencies to teach family workers how to coach families to set and reach their goals for healthy self-reliance. Initially based on Cornell University research, the interagency FDC program works in many states throughout the nation, teaching and credentialing frontline workers from public, private and non-profit service systems (e.g., home visitors, case managers, family resource center workers, community health workers). 

The Family Development Credential emerged in 1994 from a research-policy collaborative between the Cornell University College of Human Ecology’s Department of Human Development, New York State’s Council on Children and Families, New York State Department of State, and the New York City Dept. of Youth and Community Development, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The initiative was directed by Dr. Claire Forest. 

Empowerment Skills for Family Workers (ESFW) was the first of the two comprehensive FDC curricula to be developed and published. Its companion, Empowerment Skills for Leaders (ESFL), was first published in 2002. It was developed over a year and a half, involving focus-group research with FDC-credentialed supervisors and other community leaders, as well as curriculum reviews and pilot testing of training activities. Experienced ESFL instructors also suggested new topics to include in updating the latest 2020 edition.

In 2010, Dr. Forest, who remains Director, moved the Family Development Credential Program to the University of Connecticut. The official FDC credential is issued by the Center for the Study of Culture, Health & Human Development. 

Since the first FDC credentials were issued by Cornell’s School of Continuing Education in 1997, more than 20,000 frontline workers and leaders nationally have earned the FDC through affiliated systems in 46 other states. 

In 2012, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded Dr. Claire Forest exclusive use of the terms “Family Development Credential” and “FDC” to prevent unauthorized imitations. Feel free to check with us regarding the status of programs that use these terms. Your workers deserve the official FDC Program! 

In 2017, soon after Head Start released their new performance standards for staff in 2016, the Office of Head Start approved UConn’s Family Development Credential to meet this requirement. We are pleased to work closely with National Head Start Programs to help them achieve their staff qualifications. 

As the FDC Program expands training, credentialing, and research, we look forward to working with continuing and new FDC state programs and other partners. When families and communities face profound challenges, the FDC Program’s highly skilled workers and leaders are ready to help. Please contact us with your ideas and questions.