The school also operates the Center for Family Studies and, in conjunction with the College of Education's Department of Elementary Education, the University Center for Child Development. The Center for Family Studies, established in 1979, was designed to stimulate and encourage the interdisciplinary study of the family. It serves both the University and the community by fostering collaboration between faculty, students, practitioners, and community leaders on curriculum development, educational conferences and seminars, research and training, and public policy relevant to important family issues. The University Center for Child Development serves as a teaching laboratory for child development and early education students and is accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. The School of Family and Consumer Sciences is accredited by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. The dietetics program is accredited by the American Dietetics Association, and the interior design program is accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER).

The School of Family and Consumer Sciences at The University of Akron takes an ecological approach to the study of the individual and family. It takes the same approach to study the relationships between families and the changing social, health, economic, and physical environments. Founded in 1914 as the Curtis School of Home Economics, the school has three divisions: child and family development; clothing, textiles, and interiors; and nutrition, dietetics, and food science. Benefitting from the school's metropolitan setting, students are involved in off-campus extern sites that apply theory to practice. These opportunities are enhanced by on-campus laboratories devoted to nutrition and foods, clothing construction, and interior design drafting. The historic costume and textile collection has more than 2,000 items.