Why are Changes Needed?
In Michigan, there are over 77,000 working mothers with infants under one year of age and 443,000 children under the age of six potentially in need of child care. For mothers that return to work, breastfeeding for six months is significantly associated with support from child care providers. Across all types of centers, breastfeeding-supportive policies should be in place for both breastfeeding families and staff members.
Get to Know the Campaign
MIBFN Child Care Policy Positions
- All centers should adopt a clear written policy supporting breastfeeding for both families and staff.
- All centers should provide a clean, designated area (other than a bathroom) for staff, families, and visitors to breastfeed and/or express milk.
- All centers should encourage breastfeeding mothers to breastfeed or express milk on site for their children. Likewise, staff should be granted appropriate break time to express milk and/or breastfeed their children.
- Staff and families should receive accurate printed materials and information about breastfeeding, including a list of community resources.
- Staff should receive training on breastfeeding, including the health benefits, importance of exclusive breastfeeding, and supportive practices, including safe storage and handling of breast milk.
- Under federal law, it should be illegal for a child care provider to discriminate against a breastfeeding family and accommodations for breastfeeding should be protected by the law.
To view the full policy position, download the position paper here.
- MIBFN Child Care Flyer (English | Spanish | Arabic | Burmese | Japanese)
- MIBFN Child Care Magnet (English | Spanish | Arabic | Burmese | Japanese)
- MIBFN Child Care Poster (English | Spanish | Arabic | Burmese | Japanese)
- Michigan Department of Education’s Infant Feeding in the CACFP memo
- USDA’s CACFP infant meal pattern requirements
- CACFP reimbursement information and rates
- CACFP infographic
- GO NAPSACC Breastfeeding & Infant Feeding Self-Assessment Instrument
- Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Parent Handbook
- Order Child Care magnets – in five languages!
- Order Child Care posters – in five languages!
- View Great Lakes Breastfeeding Webinar presented by Elon Geffrard, BC, CLC titled “Breastfeeding in the Child Care Setting” – approved for 1 L-CERP, 1 nurse’s contact hour, 1 social work CE hour until November 19, 2020.
- View MIBFN Child Care training videos:
- Guidance for Child Care Centers on Safe Storage and Handling of Breastmilk During the COVID-19 Pandemic
MIBFN tips:
1. All of these files can be downloaded and printed using a professional printing service like www.vistaprint.com or www.custommagnetsdirect.com
2. If you’d like to add your organization’s logo, contact info@mibreastfeeding.org for support
Do you have a story about breastfeeding and child care that you would like to share Click here to share your story.