Step 1: Leadership Support for Breastfeeding (In Progress)
Celebration:
Tuskegee is building early momentum toward leadership-level support for breastfeeding and maternal health. Newly elected local officials have expressed openness to collaboration, creating an important opportunity to formally elevate breastfeeding as a community priority. These initial conversations signal growing political will and lay the groundwork for long-term systems change.
What They’re Already Doing:
- Engaging newly elected mayor around maternal and infant health priorities
- Planning a meeting to discuss an official breastfeeding proclamation
- Building relationships with county-level leadership
- Centering breastfeeding within broader public health conversations
Measures:
- Your community has a signed proclamation and/or policies that include action steps to support all the steps to becoming a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community. Proclaim every 3 years. (1i)
- Your community routinely shares the signed proclamation/policies via social media and other local media outlets.
- Your community ensures that local media outlets host an annual discussion with breastfeeding experts on this issue.
- Your community distributes a copy of the Ten Steps designation and the local policy/proclamation at least annually, ideally during World Breastfeeding Week or National Breastfeeding Month.
Step 2: Welcoming Atmosphere for Breastfeeding Families (In Progress)
Celebration:
Breastfeeding visibility is increasing in key health-related spaces across Tuskegee. Families are beginning to encounter supportive messaging in places they already trust, helping normalize breastfeeding and signal that it is welcomed within the community’s health infrastructure.
What They’re Already Doing:
- Displaying breastfeeding signage in the health department and pediatric office
- Hosting breastfeeding resource tables in healthcare settings
- Sharing educational materials in spaces families already visit
- Creating early visual cues that breastfeeding is supported
Measures:
- Your community has posted breastfeeding “Welcome” signage next to the community’s welcome signs or in other prominent locations.
- Your community displays a breastfeeding “Welcome” seal/logo on community websites and/or social media, or makes flyers available at visitor centers.
- Your community enforces federal or state laws that support public breastfeeding.(e.g., North Carolina law states that mothers have the right to breastfeed anywhere they are legally allowed to be)
Step 3: Support from Health Leadership (In Progress)
Celebration:
Community partners are actively promoting accurate, culturally responsive breastfeeding information through education, advocacy, and public events. These efforts are expanding awareness of optimal infant feeding while addressing structural and commercial barriers that disproportionately affect Black families.
What They’re Already Doing:
- Distributing breastfeeding education materials throughout the community
- Partnering with nonprofits to increase breastfeeding visibility
- Collaborating with Radical Black Moms to address predatory formula marketing
- Planning a community screening and discussion of the Chocolate Milk documentary
- Leveraging Giving Tuesday and community campaigns for outreach
Measures:
- The Designating Team or your local Breastfeeding Coalition identifies the health leaders in your community, such as the local health department director, WIC office director, hospital board members, or head nurse at the local hospital. (3i)
- The defined health leaders have confirmed and approved the World Health Organization’s definition of optimal infant feeding, or an equivalent, and this definition has been disseminated to healthcare providers and community leaders.
Step 4: Information During Pregnancy (In Progress)
Celebration:
Although formal prenatal education infrastructure is limited, Tuskegee is actively building future capacity. Early visibility efforts combined with workforce development signal a commitment to ensuring families receive accurate, culturally relevant breastfeeding information during pregnancy.
What They’re Already Doing:
- Sharing basic breastfeeding materials in health settings
- Engaging pediatric and public health partners
- Supporting team members pursuing lactation certification
- Identifying gaps in prenatal education and planning solutions
Measures:
- Healthcare systems in your community distribute non-commercial materials about the benefits of breastfeeding and the risks of unnecessary formula use to faith-based and community organizations (4i)
- Community-based organizations distribute non-commercial materials about the benefits of breastfeeding and the risks of unnecessary formula use.
- Distributed materials are culturally appropriate and reflective of the population served.
- Distributed materials include information on where to access breastfeeding support as needed.
Step 5: Breastfeeding-Friendly Healthcare (Planning)
Celebration:
Tuskegee is laying the foundation for breastfeeding-friendly healthcare by investing in local workforce development and community-based support. Informal peer networks and doulas are currently filling gaps, demonstrating strong community resilience while formal systems are being built.
What They’re Already Doing:
- Supporting two team members in training to become Certified Lactation Counselors
- Relying on doulas and peer supporters to meet immediate lactation needs
- Exploring referral pathways to external lactation providers
- Recognizing the importance of formal breastfeeding-friendly healthcare standards
Measures:
- All maternity care centers in your community are designated Baby-Friendly or hold an equivalent state-level designation that supports breastfeeding. (5i)
- At least 50% of prenatal and postnatal outpatient care clinics in your community have applied for or documented breastfeeding-friendly support and training.
Step 6 Availability of Lactation Support (In Progress)
Celebration:
Initial outreach has begun to bring breastfeeding support into everyday community spaces. These early efforts reflect a commitment to meeting families where they are and expanding community-based lactation support beyond clinical settings.
What They’re Already Doing:
- Conducting outreach to local businesses and public spaces
- Distributing breastfeeding materials across the community
- Adjusting outreach strategies to accommodate work schedules
- Planning more consistent engagement moving forward
Measures:
- Your community has established or confirmed the availability of active breastfeeding support groups.(6i)
- Your community has established or confirmed the availability of Lactation Consultants: International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) and other skilled lactation support services.
- Make a comprehensive resource list of the lactation support (support groups, IBCLCs, classes, etc) in your community.
- Special attention is given to ensuring that lactation support services meet the needs of marginalized and underserved communities.
- At least one in-person or virtual meeting has been held annually to coordinate breastfeeding support efforts in your community.
- Your community has communicated information about available lactation support services to the public at least once annually.
Step 7: Welcoming Businesses and Organizations (In Progress)
Celebration:
Tuskegee has maintained a community environment largely free of visible formula marketing, creating space for breastfeeding-positive norms to grow. Early monitoring efforts demonstrate awareness of the importance of protecting families from commercial influence.
What They’re Already Doing:
- Monitoring local stores and clinics for formula marketing
- Tracking online formula advertising for compliance
- Maintaining minimal exposure to formula promotions in community spaces
- Building awareness of breastfeeding-friendly business practices
Measures:
- Your community has calculated the number of businesses needed to meet the Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community requirement: 1,118
- At least one business for every 500 people in your community has signed a form stating they welcome breastfeeding in their place of business.
- These businesses display welcome signs or a “Breastfeeding Welcome” logo.
Step 8: Adherence to the Code of Marketing (In Progress)
Celebration:
Awareness of the International Code is emerging as part of broader breastfeeding advocacy efforts. Community leaders are beginning to identify where education and engagement with businesses can strengthen Code compliance locally.
What They’re Already Doing:
- Monitoring formula marketing practices
- Identifying corporate and chain-store policy limitations
- Connecting Code compliance to broader equity and health goals
- Preparing to educate businesses and clinics
Measures:
- Healthcare facilities in your community provide breastfeeding education and support to parents without promoting commercial infant formula through ads or free samples.(8i)
- Locally-controlled grocery stores in your community do not promote commercial infant or related toddler formula through preferential shelf placement or ads.
- Locally-controlled food markets and convenience stores in your community do not promote commercial infant or related toddler formula through preferential shelf placement or ads.
- Locally-controlled pharmacies in your community do not promote commercial infant or related toddler formula through preferential shelf placement or ads.
- Non-locally controlled grocery stores, food markets, convenience stores, and pharmacies in your community are encouraged to display lactation support information near infant formula/foods and to prevent local advertising of formula.
Step 9: Workplace Accommodation for Lactating Employees (In Progress)
Celebration:
Tuskegee is taking early steps to integrate breastfeeding support into workplaces and educational institutions. Existing lactation spaces and growing interest from schools and libraries provide a foundation for expanded employment protections and accommodations.
What They’re Already Doing:
- Sharing breastfeeding resources with schools and childcare centers
- Supporting an existing lactation room at Tuskegee University
- Planning to expand breastfeeding materials in educational settings
- Engaging libraries as community education partners
Measures:
- The current state of the laws concerning mandated business support for breastfeeding is made available to all Chamber of Commerce members, similar business groups, and other businesses (e.g., U.S. Dept. of labor materials provided by local breastfeeding organization or health department) annually.(9i)
- The Chamber of Commerce, or a similar organization, disseminates the US Business Case for Breastfeeding, WABA maternity care, or equivalent materials annually.
Step 10: Education Systems Include Breastfeeding in Curriculum (In Progress)
Celebration:
Breastfeeding awareness is steadily increasing through faith-based organizations, community events, and direct outreach to families. These efforts are helping normalize breastfeeding across generations while building momentum toward more formal educational integration.
What They’re Already Doing:
- Conducting outreach through churches and community events
- Including breastfeeding materials in food distribution boxes
- Partnering with food pantries and resource drives
- Building a long-term vision for a Pregnancy & Family Resource Center
- Exploring nonprofit development to sustain future efforts
Measures:
- The local School District or Department of Education provides books and/or images that illustrate breastfeeding as the norm.(10i)
- Breastfeeding-friendly curricula are introduced at all levels of education.
- Your community’s preschools and early education centers include breastfeeding-friendly curricula in their programs.
- Your public school system has introduced breastfeeding-friendly curricula at all educational levels.
- Universities in your community include breastfeeding-friendly curricula in relevant courses or programs.