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. This standard 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.  This includes supporting women to breastfeed. Quality Area 6 under the National Quality Standard aims to recognise that collaborative relationships with families are fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for children. Also essential are community partnerships based on active communication, consultation, and collaboration

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. 

• Guideline 4 of the Australian Dietary Guidelines is to Encourage, Support and Promote Breastfeeding and reflects National Health and Medical Research Council Infant Feeding Guidelines that recommend exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months, and continued breastfeeding to 12 months and beyond for optimal health of women and children. 
• The Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy 2019 and beyond (ANBS), prioritises actions to increase breastfeeding friendly environments, including ECEC settings. 
• Breastfeeding is a preventative women’s and child health strategy. Support of breastfeeding in ECEC settings aligns with the National Women’s Health Strategy 2020-30 (NWHS) and the National Preventative Health Strategy (currently in draft).  
• Breastfeeding is a preventative women’s and child health strategy and our resources align with the National Women’s Health Strategy 2020-30 (NWHS) and the National Preventative Health Strategy (currently in draft). They also align with and enable services to meet the requirements of the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care and the National Quality Standard Framework.