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Breastfeeding Friendly Early Childhood Education and Care Service

The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) recognition provides Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services with materials to support breastfeeding mothers of infants and young children in your care.

Designed with the needs of an ECEC educator in mind, this recognition will help you further develop your skills and knowledge to provide support to breastfeeding mothers.

As more and more mothers return to work within the recommended timeframe for breastfeeding, ECEC providers have an important and growing role to play in supporting mothers' decisions to combine breastfeeding and work.

What is included in the recognition?

Your ECEC service and educators will be provided with these resources that have been specifically designed to help support breastfeeding mothers.

Blue heart

Certificate and sticker of recognition

To display in your ECEC centre to show your support of breastfeeding mothers.

Blue paper pencil

Learning Module

Unlimited access to a learning module for educators.

Blue woman

Digital information postcards for parents

These cards can be distributed to mothers and parents providing information on how your ECEC service can support breastfeeding families.

Blue people heart

Digital posters

Available to print and display in your ECEC centre to show your support of breastfeeding mothers.

Blue location

Listing on our website

Once your ECEC service becomes recognised you will be included in our list of recognised ECEC services.

Blue star

A fee of $140 for 2-years of recognition*. You can renew and extend your recognition before expiry.

Blue calendar

The Breastfeeding Friendly ECEC Service recognition is a newly developed program and will be launching mid-2023.

*Special offer expiring 31st August 2023

 

Interested in become recognised as a Breastfeeding Friendly ECEC Service?

If you are interested, please submit an Expression of Interest Form

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Why become recognised as a Breastfeeding Friendly ECEC Service?

Benefits of supporting breastfeeding in your ECEC services

Early childhood experiences and caregiving practices, including breastfeeding, are critical to optimal human development. Supporting breastfeeding aligns ECEC services with Quality Area 2 under the National Quality Standard which aims to safeguard and promote children’s health and safety, minimise risks and protect children from harm, injury and infection. 

ECEC services benefit when they support families where they are at, and this includes supporting women to continue their breastfeeding relationship. Quality Area 6 under the National Quality Standard aims to recognise that collaborative relationships with families are fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for children and that community partnerships that are based on active communication, consultation and collaboration are also essential.  

Legal requirements for ECEC services to support breastfeeding as a service provider

The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) makes it unlawful to discriminate against women who are breastfeeding, including those who need to take short breaks at work to express milk. It is against the law to discriminate, directly or indirectly, against a woman based on sex, breastfeeding status, pregnancy, or carer’s responsibility. Breastfeeding status includes expressing milk. It is generally against the law to tell a woman not to breastfeed or express in the workplace. Federal laws are reinforced by laws in all Australian states and territories that protect breastfeeding. It would be against the law, for example, for an ECEC service to: 

  • refuse an application for a child care place, or not offer a place, because a child is breastfed 
  • discourage a mother from continuing to breastfeed when her child starts in care 
  • not let a woman breastfeed or express milk on their premises, 
  • refuse to feed a child its mother’s expressed breast milk 
  • do anything else that makes it difficult for parents to continue giving breast milk to a child while they in their care. 
Australian national guidelines promote and support breastfeeding in ECEC settings