FCSDay

Since 2014, more than 300,000 people have committed to "Dining In" on Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) Day! AAFCS honors Founder Ellen Swallow Richards by celebrating FCS Day on her birthday.

Through the FCS Day initiative, AAFCS provides information, tools, and research on the benefits of families preparing and eating healthy meals together. In 2017, the initiative will have a special focus on the financial aspects of family mealtime.

Be sure to check this website for updates and new resources!

If you have any questions or comments about this website, please email pr@aafcs.org.

When will Family & Consumer Sciences Day take place? 

• December 3rd to recognize AAFCS Founder Ellen Swallow Richards, first woman graduate of MIT, whose birthday is December 3rd.

What is Family & Consumer Sciences Day?

• A specific opportunity to promote family and consumer sciences programs, tools, and professionals that support family mealtime.  We’ll ask families to make and eat a healthy dinner together on December 3rd.

Why was “Dining In” for Healthy Families chosen as the theme?

• There’s a nationwide obesity epidemic, especially in children and teens, and a lot of that has to do with unhealthy eating and lack of food preparation knowledge.
• Research has shown that the whole family benefits from family mealtime by having better nutrition, improving family communication, fostering family traditions, and teaching life skills, such as meal planning, budgeting, and food preparation.
• Encouraging families to prepare simple, healthy meals and eat together supports the essence of family and consumer sciences: “Creating Healthy and Sustainable Families.”

What are the goals of Family & Consumer Sciences Day?

• 200,000 families will make and eat a healthy meal together on December 3rd
• Family and consumer sciences organizations, programs, resources, and professionals will experience increased visibility and recognition.

Step One

Complete our simple online sign-up form. Commit to "Dining In" for your family or on behalf of a class or other community group. Individuals who complete the form and provide contact info will be eligible for prize drawings!

Step Two

Check out our interactive map and see who else is "Dining In" around the country and across the world.

Step Three

Promote Family & Consumer Sciences Day and "Dining In" to your friends, families, and colleagues.

Step Four

Prepare and eat a healthy meal with your family on December 3rd and share a photo on your social media sites! With our financial focus in 2017, we also encourage you to share tips on how to save resources by "dining in" and any specific meals you make that are both healthy, delicious, and budget friendly.

Remember to use hashtags #FCSday and #healthyfamselfie on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.