What We Do
Meaningful Work
Breastfeeding Awards
The Workplace Award recognizes businesses who have demonstrated support for breastfeeding through a conducive office environment. The Healthcare Professional Awards, which began in 2014, recognizes demonstrated support for breastfeeding in the office, along with education of fellow healthcare professionals, office staff and families. Lastly, the Childcare Provider Award, launched in 2021, acknowledges the critical role daycare providers play in supporting breastfeeding.
IBCLC Scholarship Program
The Maryland Breastfeeding Coalition’s (MBC) mission is to promote, support and protect breastfeeding for all Maryland families. Outreach by MBC to a wide range of community groups of color in our state revealed a desire for breastfeeding education to better support women in their communities, including the desire to become an IBCLC. The number one barrier identified was “The money to pay the tuition to take the college and lactation courses.” In order to cultivate a community of diverse professional lactation supporters MBC is raising funds for scholarships for people of color in Maryland. Through financial support of their lactation education journey, we hope to eliminate the number one barrier cited to completing the education and training required to become an IBCLC.
World Breastfeeding Week/Month
World Breastfeeding Week (1st week of August) began by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), a global network of individuals and organizations, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2011 the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) officially declared that August as the National Breastfeeding Month.