Welcome to the web site of the official National Family Development Credential Program!
The National Family Development Credential Program celebrates 25 years of teaching America's family workers 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
is 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.
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 Culture, Health & Human Development.
To earn the FDC, front-line workers take 80 hours of classes based on Empowerment Skills for Family Workers(3rd edition, Forest 2015), a portfolio documenting their ability to apply these concepts and skills, and pass a standardized exam. Since the first FDC credentials were issued by Cornell's School of Continuing Education in 1997, more than 12,000 front-line workers 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, Office or 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.
Click here to learn more about how to earn a Family Development Credential.
Click here for frequently asked Q & A about FDC .