CAPPA CLE®
Lactation educator training
Become a lactation educator.
Ready to become more proficient when offering breastfeeding education? Take the first step towards becoming a CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator™ (CLE®), with CAPPA Faculty and midwife Heather McCullough, LCPM.
21.25L-CERPs
24CAPPA contact hours
3 dayslive online
$1,200per workshop
Upcoming trainings
Save your seat
About CAPPA membership
An active CAPPA Professional Membership ($75/year) is required to complete and keep your certification. You'll add it at checkout when you register for your training.
- New to CAPPA? New members get $75 off their first training, so your first year of membership is effectively free.
- Already a member? Just keep your membership active.
24 hours · evidence based · interactive
What you'll learn
CAPPA's interactive workshop prepares you to educate and support families on breastfeeding and infant feeding, from pregnancy through postpartum.
01
The lactation educator role
Your professional scope of practice.
02
Anatomy & physiology
How breastfeeding and lactation work.
03
Common challenges
Evidence-based solutions for common breastfeeding challenges.
04
Teaching families
Infant feeding education and curriculum development.
05
Diverse families
Supporting diverse families and connecting them to community resources.
Curious what's included?
Inside the CLE® training
The CAPPA 20-Hour Lactation Educator Training includes the CAPPA Lactation Manual and resources to enhance your practice.
- Goals and roles of the Lactation Educator™
- A historical look at breastfeeding
- Anatomy of the breast and lactation physiology
- Importance of breastfeeding and hazards of formula feeding
- Counseling the postpartum family
- Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding: Baby-Friendly information
- Working with the hospital
- Maternal and infant challenges
- Pumping and expressing breastmilk
- Medications and mother's milk
- Teaching adult learners
- And much more!
Becoming a CAPPA CLE®
Certification, step by step
All-inclusive · $1,200
What's included
- CAPPA Lactation Educator certification program
- Training manual & resources
- Private community for lactation educators
- Free refresher live training for one year
- 24/7 private chat channel with your trainer
Certification requirements
To become certified
- Be at least 18 years old
- Join CAPPA ($75/year) when you register: add the membership at checkout with your training
- Attend the CAPPA Lactation Educator training
- Complete all course requirements within 1 year of your training
Good news: there's no separate CAPPA Academy fee anymore. Your $1,200 training includes the course and full certification process.
Staying certified
Keeping your credential
- Keep your CAPPA membership active
- Recertify every 3 years ($125)
- If your certification lapses for less than 12 months, reinstatement is $300
Full details are in CAPPA's certification FAQs.
The lactation educator role
What CAPPA lactation educators do
- Offer non-biased information, encouragement and education to families and professionals
- Teach culturally sensitive, adult-based classes
- Help parents keep up lactation when separated from baby, including hand expression and pumping
- Support families through supplementing, weaning and beyond
- Refer to healthcare professionals for anything clinical
Lactation educators are non-clinical: they don't diagnose, perform clinical procedures, or prescribe or dose medications or herbs.
Why certify as a CLE®?
Evidence-based, comprehensive, engaging
CAPPA CLE® trainings are evidence based and comprehensive, and are designed to appeal to all learning styles, with engaging, interactive instruction and practical, real-world scenarios. CAPPA instructors follow standardized curriculums to ensure the highest quality training. As one of the first and most comprehensive perinatal organizations in the world, CAPPA is respected for its longevity, stability and commitment to excellence.
This workshop meets the first requirement of your CLE® program and prepares you to work through the steps for certification. It is designed to improve the skill base, knowledge and perspectives on breastfeeding for perinatal professionals, and supports both the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and Mother-Friendly practices.
Offering 21.25 L-CERPs and 24 CAPPA contact hours. RD and nursing contact hours potentially available on request.
This course satisfies:
- The Core Competencies in Breastfeeding Care and Services for All Health Professionals, as outlined by the United States Breastfeeding Committee (no endorsement by the USBC is implied). Ideal for labor and postpartum doulas, WIC staff, public health employees and anyone looking to offer lactation education.
- The 20-hour World Health Organization curriculum to support the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. Ideal for hospital staff, pediatricians, obstetricians, midwives and PAs specializing in maternity care.
- The CAPPA Lactation Educator™ (CLE®) or CAPPA Community Educator™ (LE(C)) certification steps for workshop attendance. Ideal for anyone wanting to become a Certified Lactation Educator™.
Certified Lactation Educators™ provide evidence-based information to the community, families and professionals to encourage breastfeeding initiation, duration and support. They teach community and hospital breastfeeding classes, serve as peer breastfeeding counselors, facilitate support groups, run pump rental stations and provide phone support.
The CAPPA CLE® does not prescribe, treat or diagnose breastfeeding-related conditions, and is trained to refer clients who need that level of care to a qualified professional, such as an IBCLC. This course is not an IBCLC exam prep course, nor does it prepare a student to become an IBCLC.
Questions about the training?
Email Heather, or join the trainings newsletter for new dates.