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Breastfeeding Friendly Early Childhood Education and Care Service

Unlock the benefits of the Australian Breastfeeding Association's breastfeeding-friendly recognition for your early childhood education and care (ECEC) service! 

Gain access to helpful resources for strengthening your support for breastfeeding mothers and their young children in your care. Designed with the needs of an ECEC educator in mind, this recognition will help you and educators at your service further develop the skills and knowledge to provide support to breastfeeding mothers.

More and more mothers are going back to work while still breastfeeding. ECEC providers have a very important role to help these mothers. Take this chance to lead the way in supporting mothers to balance breastfeeding and work smoothly.

Learning eModule for educators

Access to a 30-45 minute module covering practical workplace information on using expressed breastmilk and caring for breastfeed infants and young children. Topics include:

 

  • Needs and legal rights of breastfeeding mothers
  • Appearance of expressed breastmilk
  • Storing, handling and preparing expressed breastmilk
  • How your ECEC centre can support breastfeeding mothers

All educators are issued with a certificate of completion from the Australian Breastfeeding Association

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Cost of recognition: what you need to know

1-year recognition

$99 annually

Recognition renewed every 12 months

2-year recognition

$160 every two years

Recognition renewed every 2 years

Prices above are for one recognition per centre, discounts available for multi-centre certification. Prices do not include GST. Please email bfwa@breastfeeding.asn.au for more information.

Ready to join?

Register your ECEC Services today!

By joining as a recognised Breastfeeding Friendly ECEC Service, you're creating a welcoming and safe environment that embraces mothers and families. Join us in making a difference!

Educator sitting on the floor with a 1-year old at a child care centre

Requirements for recognition

There are six essential requirements for ECEC service to agree upon before receiving recognition 

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Breastfeeding policy or guidelines

Confirming there is a policy or guideline in place at the service that supports breastfeeding

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Employee awareness

Ensure that all employees are aware of the breastfeeding policy or guidleines

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Information for parents

Provide information to parents about how the service supports breastfeeding at enrolment and ongoing points of contact

Blue breastpump

Australian guidelines

The service meets and follows the current Australian guidelines for the appropriate handling, storage and preparation of expressed breastmilk

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Appropriate space

Provide an appropriate space in the service for mothers to breastfeed or express if they need to

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Supportive culture

Agree to maintaining a breastfeeding friendly supportive culture in the workplace

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. 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

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

What our recognised ECEC services say

A breast feeding friendly recognition for our service will allow families to feel supported and welcomed within our centre

- Great Beginnings Kelso, QLD

To help mother's attending our service to feel welcomed and supported through their breastfeeding journey.

- Story House Maitland, NSW

It will help to encourage and support new mums working within the service, giving them education and knowledge. This will help our community and breast-feeding mums as we provide a safe space for them to breast feed anytime as they make the smooth transition back to the workforce.

- Singleton ELC, NSW

Recognition for your support

View ECEC services who are currently recognised as Breastfeeding Friendly ECEC Services

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