This course serves as continuing education credits for those child cares participating in the LFE certification program and is also being offered to child care providers to increase or refresh knowledge about the importance of lactation and supporting lactation in the child care setting.

One of the barriers that families face when they return to work is how to continue to provide human milk to their child. Separation from an infant or child may lead to reduced milk supply. Understanding the value of human milk for young children, we have created a program to recognize child care facilities that have taken specific steps to make their program a lactation feeding friendly environment (LFE).​

We are offering a lactation and feeding-friendly child care environment course as a continued education option to promote inclusivity and support for parents who wish to continue breastfeeding, even after infancy, ensuring that child care providers are knowledgeable and equipped to create a comfortable and accommodating environment for breastfeeding and bottle-feeding infants.

By offering this course, we aim to empower child care providers with the necessary skills and understanding to meet the unique needs of lactating parents and their babies, fostering a nurturing and inclusive child care setting.

This program and course have been developed by the Snohomish County Health Department in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health (WADOH), the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington, and with the participation of King County Public Health.​