NC Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Designation Program

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• Free Marketing. Designated child care centers and family child care homes are promoted on the North Carolina Division of Public Health website and their designation status is listed as a “Special Feature” on the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education facility profile. Awarded child care programs will also receive a certificate to display. 

• Meet Families’ Needs. More than 80% of mothers in North Carolina start breastfeeding, which means that families are looking for child care programs who support breastfeeding. 

• Reduced Absences. Children who are breastfed are sick less, which means more consistent attendance at your child care program and fewer missed work days for parents. 

• Cost Savings. For child care programs participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), when a mother breastfeeds her child on-site or a child is fed expressed breast milk at a child care center or family child care home, that equals one reimbursable meal that can be claimed. 

  • Breastmilk is Milk: Children can continue to receive breastmilk after age 1. NC Child Care Rules allow continued provision of breast milk as part of a complete meal. Learn more here. 

• Employee Retention. When breastfeeding is supported by both the employer and the child care provider, parents are more likely to return to work and remain in the workforce. This means continued enrollment for child care programs. 

• Health Benefits for Moms, Children, and the Community. Mothers who breastfeed are less likely to have breast and ovarian cancer, type II diabetes, and postpartum depression. Breastfed children are less likely to be obese, have type II diabetes, asthma, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding.

• Apply at Any Time.  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed biannually. Refer to the chart below for review period and award notification dates:

• Easy Online Application. Paper applications will NOT be accepted. Want to review the application and prepare your responses? See a printable copy of the online application.

• Free. There are no fees for applying or maintaining the designation. 

• No Site Visits. Child care programs’ applications are reviewed by the North Carolina Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Review Committee based on answers and documentation submitted with their application. 

• Awarded for Three Years. The designation is conferred for a three (3) year period. After the 3 years period, child care programs must reapply to continue to be designated. 

• Must Achieve All Five Standards. Child care programs must achieve all five standards to be designated as a North Carolina Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Program. The five standards are: 

  1. Written Policy 
  2. Community Connections 
  3. Professional Development 
  4. Environment 
  5. Curriculum 

• Opening Doors Preschool, II-Whiteville, NC (9/30/2026)

• Princeton Daycare Center-Princeton, NC (3/31/2025) 

• The Growing Place Child Care Center-Asheboro, NC (3/31/2025)

• Yates Baptist Child Development Center-Durham, NC (3/31/2025)

• Verner Central-Asheville, NC (3/31/2026)

• Verner Center for Early Learning: East-Asheville, NC (3/31/2026)

• Shepherd's Way Day School-Asheboro, NC (3/31/2026)

• Wilkes Developmental Day School-Wilkesboro, NC (3/31/2026)

• PlayWorks Early Care & Learning Center-North Wilkesboro, NC (3/31/2026)

• First Presbyterian Day School-Durham, NC (3/31/2026)
   

The North Carolina Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Designation (NC BFCCD) is administered at the NC Division of Public Health (DPH). The NC BFCCD recognizes licensed  child care programs statewide that promote, protect, and support breastfeeding. Child care programs are awarded the NC BFCCD for achieving each of the five standards for breastfeeding-friendly child care. The five standards of the NC BFCCD include: 1) written policy; 2) community connections; 3) professional development; 4) environment; and 5) curriculum. The NC BFCCD integrates the Ten Steps to Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care from the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute (CGBI) at UNC-Chapel Hill into the five standards.