Certified Family Life Educator credential

To qualify for the CFLE credential through the CFLE-Approved Program Process:

• Graduates must complete the specified course or courses under each of the 10 FLE content areas on the approved-program’s checklist. The SMF approved checklist can be accessed on the NCFR website for CFLE-approved programs, and search St. Jerome's University to download the course checklist.
• Applicants must receive a grade of C- (70%) or better in each NCFR CFLE-approved course to receive credit for a course. NCFR’s grade requirement is independent of the institution’s grade requirements for graduation. For example, the institution may specify that a grade of D in a course is acceptable for granting of the degree. However, that grade will not be accepted by NCFR when the student applies for the CFLE credential. NCFR will accept courses completed with a Pass/Fail grade if the transcript identifies the passing grade as at minimum C- (70%).
• NCFR does not accept audited courses.
• No more than two substitute course are allowed (see Course Substitution, below).
• Submit the application within two years of graduation. All CFLE-approved program applications must be submitted to NCFR within 2 years of graduation. Graduates wishing to apply more than two years after graduation will not be able to apply for the CFLE designation through the CFLE-approved program process. However, they can apply through the CLFE Exam process. Information on the CFLE Exam can be found on the NCFR website.
• In order to ensure that all coursework is current, applicants must have completed all CFLE coursework (and any substitution classes) no more than seven years prior to graduation.

Provisional certification is available to applicants who have demonstrated current content knowledge in each of 10 family life content areas, but who have not yet earned sufficient work experience hours in Family Life Education. Full certification is available to CFLE applicants who have demonstrated both content knowledge and work experience in providing Family Life Education.

Provisional certification can be earned in two ways:

1. Provisional certification can be earned by graduating from an NCFR CFLE-approved academic program and completing the CFLE-approved process. This is the process that SMF graduates can follow. Check the NCFR website for CFLE-approved programs and search St. Jerome's University to download the course checklist for SMF students wishing to qualify for the CFLE designation through this process.
2. Provisional certification can also be earned by successfully completing the CFLE Exam.

Graduates of NCFR CFLE-approved programs, who have completed all the required coursework on an approved program checklist, do not need to take the CFLE Exam.

Full certification can be earned in three ways:

1. Obtain provisional certification through the CFLE-approved program application process or through the CFLE Exam application process. Then, later, once enough work experience in Family Life Education has been earned, complete the Upgrade process. The amount of work experience needed is contingent upon the applicability and level of the degree earned (see CFLE Requirements table below.)
2. Apply for full certification through the online CFLE-Approved Program application process by submitting all materials necessary for provisional certification and, at the same time, submitting documentation of sufficient work experience in Family Life Education and employer verification and assessment.
3. Apply for full certification through the online CFLE Exam application process by submitting the CFLE Exam application and, at the same time, submitting documentation of sufficient work experience in Family Life Education and employer verification and assessment.

1. Completion of the Certified Family Life Educator Exam
2. CFLE-Approved Program application process available to graduates of NCFR CFLE-Approved programs

CFLE Requirements

Graduates of your CFLE-approved program will qualify to complete the CFLE-Approved Program application process for provisional certification. Because the courses listed on your program’s checklist are pre-approved by NCFR, the review process is simplified. This allows NCFR to charge a lower application fee for applicants completing the CFLE-Approved Program application process.

All approved programs are identified as CFLE-Approved within the Degree Programs in Family Science section of the NCFR website.

The Degree Programs in Family Science site includes a list of undergraduate and graduate Family Science degree programs. Not all programs listed in the Degree Programs in Family Science section are CFLE-approved. CFLE-approved programs include a CFLE Approved notation at the bottom of the listing.

Visit the NCFR website for CFLE-approved programs and search St. Jerome's University to download the course checklist for SMF students, which includes a list of approved courses and the CFLE content areas to which they apply. Students can access the application materials from the NCFR website when they are ready to apply to ensure they have the more up-to-date information. Information can be accessed from the NCFR website.

Graduates applying through the CFLE-Approved Program application complete an online application process that includes submission of:

1. An Original Official transcript showing degree completion.
2. Their school’s checklist of approved courses (and substitute course syllabi if necessary). Visit the NCFR website for CFLE-approved programs and search St. Jerome's University to download the course checklist for SMF students.
3. Signed copy of the CFLE Code of Professional Ethics.
4. CFLE-approved program application fee. See the NCFR page on CFLE Fees for current rates.

Transcripts

An original, official transcript showing degree completion and successful completion of the required coursework is required. A transcript must have a watermark, or embossment, or other authenticating marks as described on the document. Print copies do not have to be mailed directly from the school or be in a sealed envelope. If the applicant would like to submit an electronic transcript it must be an official transcript and be emailed directly to cfle@ncfr.org from the university. NCFR will not accept electronic transcripts sent to the NCFR office by the CFLE applicant. Please note that we cannot accept photocopied, scanned, or faxed transcripts.

The final transcript must be an original official copy, not a photocopy or fax, and the transcript must show the degree earned and date conferred. Receipt of unacceptable transcripts is a common cause of delay in processing applications.

Application process for graduating seniors

If desired, students may begin applying for the CFLE credential in their final term of enrollment before graduation. This process was implemented to enable professors to include the CFLE Application process as a class assignment. This allows students to add “CFLE pending” to their resume right away, which can be helpful in their job search. Students can send an unofficial transcript initially and may pay their application fee in two installments: $50 as their first payment, and the balance when they send their final original official transcript denoting degree completion.

Membership in NCFR

Membership in NCFR is not required in order to apply for or maintain the CFLE designation. However, NCFR members receive a discount on the CFLE fees. NCFR offers very reasonable membership rates for students. If a student wishes to become a member of the NCFR they may submit an NCFR membership application and payment at the same time as the Provisional CFLE application materials. However, it is recommended that students become members of NCFR when they first enroll in the Family Science program in order to receive the benefits of membership throughout their college years. A membership application is available from the NCFR website.

Course acceptance criteria

In order to receive the CFLE designation through the CFLE-approved program application process, students must have completed all the required courses listed on the approved Program’s checklist. All coursework on the checklist, including substitutions and transfer courses, must have been completed no more than seven years prior to graduation in order to be accepted by NCFR.

Course substitutions

Some graduates will have completed courses prior to NCFR approval of the program or were unable to take all required courses because of scheduling conflicts or course availability. In these instances, NCFR will allow graduates to substitute up to two courses, with NCFR approval, and still qualify for the CFLE-approved program process.

Substitute course(s):

• Can be from the CFLE-approved program or from another institution.
• Must have been completed no more than seven years prior to the graduation date.
• Must include required content included in the CFLE content area.

Substitution of a course is contingent upon inclusion of appropriate CFLE course content. NCFR may determine that a substitute course did not meet the content requirements for a content area.

Applicants wishing to substitute a course need to:

• Indicate on the program checklist which course they did not complete and list the name and course number of the substitute course in one of the open rows at the bottom of the checklist (or alongside the required course if there are no rows available at the bottom).
• Include the syllabus for the substitute course from the time the course was completed. If a syllabus or outline is not available, the applicant may submit a detailed course description (from the time they took the course) or a letter from the professor describing the course content and verifying that the content is similar to that of the NCFR CFLE-approved course.
• If the substituted course was from another school and does not appear specifically (course designator, course number, course name, term taken, and grad received) on the applicant’s final transcript, an original official transcript from the other school is required, as well.

If several graduates will be substituting the same course, the CFLE contact may want to submit a letter and syllabus to NCFR asking that the other course be added as an option in the program curriculum. This would eliminate the need for each graduate to include the syllabus with their application.

No more than two courses can be substituted for the NCFR CFLE-approved courses. If a graduate is missing more than two courses, they can still apply for provisional certification but would do so by completing the CFLE Exam. Visit the NCFR website for information on the CFLE Exam.

Transfer credits

There are many circumstances where CFLE requirements are not the same as degree requirements. NCFR will not automatically accept transfer credits in place of NCFR CFLE-approved courses because the criteria used by a program in accepting transfer credits may be different than the criteria used by NCFR in evaluating coverage of the CFLE content areas. Transfer courses are considered substitutes to the approved course on a CFLE checklist and must be approved by NCFR by following the substitution process. However, in the situation where numerous students will be using the same transfer course as part of their CFLE application, the institution can submit information to NCFR for review as a pre-approved substitution. This will eliminate the need for each applicant to have to submit the transfer course syllabus to NCFR. Transfer courses must have been completed no more than seven years prior to the graduation date from the CFLE-approved program.

Grades

Applicants must have received a C- (70%) grade, at minimum, for a course to be accepted by NCFR. Grades will be confirmed through review of the student’s official transcript. NCFR’s grade requirement is independent of the institution’s grade requirement for graduation. For example, the institution may specify that a grade of D in a course is acceptable for granting of the degree. However, that grade will not be accepted by NCFR when the student applies for the CFLE credential. NCFR will accept courses completed with a Pass/Fail grade if the transcript identifies the passing grade as at a minimum C- (70%). Audited courses are not eligible.

Independent study

NCFR will allow an independent study course as a substitution if the applicant can submit a syllabus or course description and written verification from a professor confirming the content of the course and its relevance to the CFLE content area. The independent study course must be documented and graded on the transcript.

Internship/practicum requirement

Because of the importance and value of applying knowledge in an experiential setting an internship or practicum that is credit-earning and reflects a minimum of 120 hours at the practicum site is a requirement for NCFR program approval.

This FLE-related internship should be in addition to academic preparation focusing on the Family Life Education Methodology content area. Field experiences should centre on Family Life Education and prevention rather than therapy, counseling, early childhood, social work, case management, etc. However, NCFR recognizes that providing internship experiences in FLE-specific settings may not always be possible. If a practicum/internship in a Family Life Education-related setting is not available, the student must develop and implement an educational program within the setting of their internship/practicum, or within another setting. For example, if the student is interning in a nursing home, they could develop and present a workshop for family members of the nursing home residents dealing with issues such as decision-making, family dynamics, communication, etc. A student interning in an early childhood setting might develop and present a workshop for parents. The student could write a paper describing and evaluating the experience or could report to the professor who would provide documentation that the student completed a Family Life Education-related experiential activity as part of their internship/practicum. The practicum/internship experience must be documented and graded on the transcript.

The Internship/Practicum requirement is a way for NCFR to ensure that CFLE applicants have had supervised experience working in a Family Life Education position. Although NCFR requires students applying through the CFLE-Approved Program process to complete a minimum of 2 credit, 120-hour practicum, we do understand that in some circumstances students don’t take the practicum because they already have work experience in Family Life Education.

Therefore, NCFR offers an Internship/Practicum substitution option for individuals who have worked in Family Life Education. Students who have current work experience may use it as a substitute for the Internship/Practicum requirement by completing the Approved Program Process Practicum-Internship Substitution form to document at least 120 hours of work experience earned within the past five years. In addition, they would need to have an employer fill out the Employer Assessment and Verification form – Practicum/Internship form, which provides an assessment of the applicant’s work and verifies the completion of the work experience hours. Contact CFLE@ncfr.org for the Practicum/Internship substitution forms.

Provisional certification is typically pursued by individuals who have completed recent and relevant coursework in each of the 10 family life content areas, but who have not yet earned the work experience necessary for full certification. Provisional certification is meant as a temporary certification status available for up to five years. The provisional CFLE can upgrade to full certification as soon as they have earned enough work experience hours to qualify for full certification. The amount of work experience needed is contingent upon the relevancy and level of the highest degree earned.

Family Life Education work experience can include a variety of activities including, but not limited to, program development, program coordination/administration, program evaluation, needs assessments, marketing of Family Life Education materials and programs, curriculum or resource development, publications, presentations, group facilitation, community collaboration, etc.

In order to consider work experience activities as Family Life Education the work should meet the following criteria:

• The work is educational and preventive in nature rather than therapeutic
• The work is related to at least one of the 10 family life content areas
• The work incorporates a family systems perspective
• The work incorporates a lifespan perspective
• The work is intentional and includes identified content or a planned curriculum or program

Documentation of work experience should include:

• Completion of the Family Life Education Work Experience Summary form.
• Applicants can include experience earned before graduation, but the majority of hours should have been earned after graduation. Experience earned during an internship is acceptable but must be supported with other work experiences. Volunteer work supported with training or preparation is sometimes accepted.
• A current resume or vita.
• Examples of work including program descriptions, worksheets, brochures, evaluations, course outlines, or anything that will provide an understanding of the scope and content of the work experience.
• Submission of the Employer Assessment and Verification form.
• The application fee. See the NCFR page on CFLE Fees for current rates.

Once adequate work experience has been submitted and approved, NCFR will upgrade the provisional CFLE designation to full certification. The designate will receive a new certificate showing full certification. Full certification is valid for a period of five years and is renewable through submission of continuing education credits. CFLEs with full certification must earn a minimum of 100 hours of continuing education credit every five years. NCFR provides information on re-certification to the CFLE designate upon full approval.

Although most recent graduates do not have the number of hours of experience needed for full certification, some students may have been working in Family Life Education while going to school or have gone to school after working for several years. Graduates who already have enough work experience in Family Life Education upon graduation may apply for full certification.

Step 1: Complete all materials described on the CFLE-Approved Program application form. This includes submission of a signed Code of Professional Ethics, an original official transcript showing degree conferment, and the CFLE-Approved Program fee for applying for full certification.

Step 2: Complete the work experience documentation process using the CFLE Work Experience Summary Form.

Step 3: Submit all application materials and fees at the same time. (If materials, or fees, are missing from either of the processes the review of the application will be delayed.)

Please contact the CFLE program at the NCFR office by phone at 888-781-9331 or at CFLE@ncfr.org if you have any questions about the CFLE-Approved Program application process or course substitutions.