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Lactation Friendly Child Care

April 2025

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Why Support Lactation?

  • Breastfed infants are sick less often
    • Fewer colds and ear infections, less diarrhea
    • Protects against SUIDS/SIDS
  • Breast milk is easier for infants to digest
    • Spit up less and have less smelly diapers compared to formula-fed infants
  • Financial benefit in CACFP
    • Claim breast milk fed meals in the CACFP, whether fed with bottle or by parent on site

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Support Lactation by Following Best Practices:

  1. Commitment
  2. Education and Training
  3. Environment
  4. Communication

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1. Commitment

  • Clearly written policy supporting lactation for both families and staff
  • Accurate printed materials
  • Staff are given appropriate breaks to express milk/nurse
  • Exclusively breastfed infants are fed only breastmilk during the first 6 months

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Lactation Policy

A comprehensive policy should include:

  • Supportive environment
  • Initial contact
  • Feeding and handling breastmilk
  • Staff training

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2. Education and Training

For Staff/Teachers

  • Staff training offered regularly
  • Important topics to cover:
    • Benefits to parent and infant
    • Promoting lactation and supporting parents
    • Proper storage and handling of breastmilk
    • Bottle feeding a breastfed infant
    • Reference materials
    • Community resources
    • Policy and practice at child care programs

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2. Education and Training

For Families

  • Prospective families are told about lactation policy and practice
  • Enrolled families are regularly offered education

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3. Environment

  • Clean, designated area for staff, families, and visitors to nurse/express milk
  • Always enough refrigerator and freezer space for breast milk storage
  • Elements in the physical space promote lactation (no materials from formula companies)

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4. Communication

  • Written feeding plans
  • Feeding cues
  • No feeding in last 1 to 1.5 hours before pick up
  • Properly label, handle, and store breastmilk
  • Handouts and educational materials
  • Marketing Lactation Friendly Recognition

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Lactation-Friendly Child Care Recognition

Healthy Child Care Colorado

    • Complete application
    • Work with an Advisor
    • Submit county recognition certificate

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Resources and References�

  • Supporting Breastfeeding In Child Care: Colorado Shines PDIS www/coloradoshinespdis.com
  • Lactation-Friendly Child Care toolkits, resources, training and recognition: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/nutrition-services-menu/lactation-friendly-child-care
  • Lactation Friendly Child Care Recognition: healthychildcareco.org/programs/quality-initiatives/lactation-friendly-child-care/
  • American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-057988
  • Continuity of Care in Breastfeeding Support Blueprint: https://www.breastfeedingcontinuityofcare.org
  • Caring for Our Children National Standards: https://nrckids.org/CFOC
  • USDA, Food and Nutrition Service. Breastfed Babies Welcome Here. Tools for CACFP providers: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/breastfed-babies-welcome-here

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Thank you

Made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention