WIC How to Support a Breastfeeding Mother

A Guide for the Childcare Center

This guide for the childcare center includes instructions for trainers, evaluation forms, and class materials.

About the module

The module contains a copy of the objectives and handouts (CD-ROM is available from the Department of State Health Services, Bureau of Nutrition Services) for the childcare presentation, Supporting the Breastfeeding Mother, A Guide for the Childcare Center. The Texas Department of State Health Services is grateful to the Texas WIC program and the Texas Department of Human Services for providing their breastfeeding coordinators, peer counselors and nutritionists to assist communities in utilizing these materials.

HHSC may offer this training to childcare centers as part of their Nutrition Education Training. WIC Breastfeeding Coordinators, La Leche League Leaders, Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultants and Trained Breastfeeding Educators who have attended the DSHS ”Principles of Lactation Management” and “Lactation Counseling and Problem Solving,” may provide this training.

To Offer this Training

Contact local Community College Vocational Tech classes which include child-care training, and schedule to present at a regularly scheduled class.

Or

Contact individual childcare facilities and see if you can provide the training to their staff.

Teaching Preparation

You will need to make copies of the handouts for participants. You may want to provide pencils so they can take notes on their handout during the presentation.

You may laminate the bingo cards and pieces or glue them to poster board for durability. Each bingo card is different, so when you make copies, make sure each person gets a different card. If you make 5 copies of the same card, everyone will bingo at the same time! Each card has its own graphic pieces for you to copy and cut out for the player to cover her bingo spaces. As you call the bingo statement, use any letter, but be sure and mark off the letter in the space provided on your bingo instruction sheet so that you do not duplicate a call.

Teaching Instructions

Open the training by introducing yourself and briefly giving your breastfeeding education credentials. Ask the class to think about what their experiences, education and attitudes about breastfeeding are. Have they ever seen anyone breastfeed a baby? Were they breastfed when they were babies? Have they breastfed? Have they taken care of a breastfed baby? What have they heard about breastfeeding? There may be a variety of different experiences from none at all to a lot. Invite participants to ask questions.

Distribute the bingo cards and pieces. You will only have time for one game. As you read the breastfeeding facts during the game, players may ask questions or talk about the facts being read. When someone shouts “bingo!” give them a Hershey’s gold nugget or some other prize. You could provide Hersey's gold nugget candy as a treat for all those who play the game—a reminder that human milk is the “gold standard” in infant food.

Distribute the participant handouts and pencils. Trainees may write notes on their handouts and ask questions during or after the presentation, whichever you prefer. Be sure to instruct them to write down their questions if you plan to wait to answer them after the presentation.

Give the slide presentation, using the trainer's notes. At slide #32, show the following video:

“To Baby with Love & The Comfortable Latch” available for purchase from Texas WIC Catalog.

Before the class is dismissed, ask the childcare workers to complete the participants' evaluation forms and turn them in to you. Please complete the trainer's evaluation. Fax completed evaluations to Marguerite Kelly at 512-341-4473.

By completing and returning the evaluations, you help us to continue to provide a quality training module. Thank you for making childcare providers aware of the importance of supporting breastfeeding moms.

What You Will Need

Equipment

  1. Laptop computer and LCD with slide presentation on CD-ROM,
    OR a PC Computer with Microsoft Power Point presentation on CD-ROM,
    OR an easel and mounted color copies of presentation
  2. DVD player or your computer if it plays DVDs and the following video: “To Baby with Love & The Comfortable Latch”

Paperwork

Optional handouts

For more information on WIC Media, to order media, or to request access to the Online Ordering Systems, visit the Texas WIC Catalog.

Learning Activity Resources

  • Bingo Game
  • Hershey gold nuggets or some other prize (optional)

Materials

Sign-in sheet 

Bingo Game 

Optional Activities

Rummy Game

Presentation

Supporting the Breastfeeding Mother: A Guide for the Childcare Center — speaker presentation (PowerPoint)

Participant Handouts

Supporting the Breastfeeding Mother: A Guide for the Childcare Center — speaker presentation (PowerPoint) — Print a participant handout from the PowerPoint presentation

Ten Steps to Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care Centers Resource Kit — A resource kit to assist child care providers and community groups to implement strategies to promote, protect and support breastfeeding women. The kit includes a self-appraisal tool and information and resources for planning and implementing action plan based on the ten steps. Child care center staff can earn continuing education units.

Evaluation Forms

Evaluation for "Supporting the Breastfeeding Mother: A Guide for the Childcare Center." (PDF)

Certificate

“Supporting the Breastfeeding Mother: A Guide for the Childcare Center” certificate of completion (PDF)

For more information on WIC Media, to order media, or to request access to the Online Ordering Systems, please visit the Texas WIC Catalog.

Goal

This presentation is designed to be used as an outreach program and to provide education to childcare center employees and owners on supporting breastfeeding mothers whose babies are in their care.

Online Course

Online courses for child care professionals seeking to fulfill state-mandated training requirements or obtain hours toward the Child Development Associate (CDA) National Credential.

Child Care Center owners who wish for their employees to complete a continuing education program online for credit can find a State approved program at AgriLife. To receive official credit for the courses, participants must pass a course exam and pay a processing fee to obtain a printable certificate.

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Child Care Courses (English)