Durham Public Schools (DPS) has officially met Step 10 of the Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities initiative! This milestone ensures that breastfeeding education is integrated into community-wide curricula, helping to normalize human lactation and empower future generations with essential knowledge and support.
The Journey to Step 10: Breastfeeding Friendly Education in our K-12 Schools
Breastfeed Durham has long advocated for integrating breastfeeding education into schools, recognizing that early education is key to fostering a culture of support for lactation. Our team has reached out to Durham Public Schools to assess the presence of breastfeeding education in their curriculum and explore ways to enhance it with additional resources.
Julianne Williams, Rachel Lewis, and Love Anderson, from Breastfeed Durham, engaged DPS leadership in discussions about breastfeeding education across grade levels. Breastfeed Durham proposed adding supplemental curriculum materials and books to enrich their existing Family and Consumer Sciences courses. Through these discussions, DPS recognized the value of ensuring that breastfeeding education was a key component of their curriculum.
Breastfeeding Education in Durham Public Schools
In response to our outreach, Nicholas King, a DPS administrator, confirmed on February 7, 2025, that breastfeeding education is indeed already part of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) and incorporated within the Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum. This confirmation solidifies Durham Public Schools’ commitment to supporting breastfeeding education and aligns them with Step 10 of the Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities initiative. And according to the NCSCOS, the study of mammals is introduced in the 4th grade. In this grade, students learn to classify animals, including mammals, based on their characteristics. This foundational knowledge is expanded upon in higher grades as students delve deeper into biological sciences.
Why This Matters
Research shows that children ages 3 to 6 begin forming their beliefs about infant feeding, which will influence their future feeding choices as parents. This achievement, combined with the efforts of the Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH) and Durham’s Innovative Nutrition Education (DINE), further reinforces the normalization of breastfeeding in our community. DINE is actively promoting breastfeeding as the optimal source of infant nutrition in their cooking classes for public school students and parents. Additionally, the Durham County Department of Public Health integrates breastfeeding education into discussions on reproductive health, ensuring that students receive comprehensive information on its importance.
Educating students about breastfeeding from an early age helps normalize it as a standard part of human development and infant nutrition. By including breastfeeding in the curriculum, DPS is:
- Encouraging Informed Choices: Providing students with accurate, science-based information about breastfeeding and its benefits.
- Promoting Public Health: Equipping future parents and caregivers with knowledge to make healthy choices for their families.
- Supporting Equity in Education: Ensuring that all students, regardless of background, receive information about breastfeeding as a fundamental aspect of infant care.
Dedicated Lactation Spaces and Time in Durham Public Schools
Durham Public Schools has also demonstrated its commitment to supporting lactating employees by ensuring access to private, locked spaces for breast milk expression. In a message from Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Alvera Lesane, in a communication dated January 6, 2023, detailed DPS’s policies regarding lactation accommodations:
- HR assists any employee or supervisor with questions about arrangements for expressing breast milk.
- DPS ensures that a private, locked space (not a bathroom) is available for lactating employees.
- While there is no legal requirement for a dedicated lactation space in NC, DPS has committed to making this accommodation accessible.
- Both exempt and non-exempt employees are supported, with adjustments made to their schedules as needed to facilitate lactation breaks.
This commitment, further strengthens Durham’s efforts to create a truly breastfeeding-friendly environment for both students and staff, ensuring compliance with best practices for lactation support in public institutions. Breastfeed Durham has been actively advocating for the inclusion of dedicated lactation spaces in the DPS Facilities Master Plan. These spaces would provide essential accommodations for lactating students, staff, and parents, ensuring that they have access to private, functional areas to express milk.
On February 16, 2025, after outreach efforts, Dr. Larry Webb, a DPS administrator, acknowledged receipt of Breastfeed Durham’s request to integrate lactation spaces into the Facilities Master Plan. This effort aligns with DPS’s commitment to equity and wellness, providing necessary support for lactating individuals while ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations. Breastfeed Durham remains engaged in ongoing conversations with DPS leadership and the Board of Education to ensure this initiative is realized.
Official Proclamation from the Durham Public Schools Board of Education
On April 24, 2025, the Durham Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a Proclamation of Support for Infant Feeding Practices, solidifying the district’s leadership in advancing lactation equity and education.
This formal action affirms Durham’s commitment to:
- Providing clean, private lactation spaces (that are not bathrooms) for students and staff.
- Offering adequate time and support for lactating individuals to express milk.
- Ensuring sufficient refrigerated storage space for expressed milk.
- Publicly sharing a written lactation support policy with families and employees.
- Including breastfeeding, chestfeeding, and human milk feeding in the curriculum as outlined by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.
- Creating a family-friendly atmosphere that welcomes lactating families to volunteer and nurse their babies in schools.
By approving this proclamation, Durham Public Schools formally recognizes infant feeding as a public health priority and aligns with best practices for lactation support in public institutions. The proclamation supports the implementation of Step 10 of the Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities initiative and represents a systemic commitment to health, equity, and family well-being.
Next Steps and Continued Collaboration
While this is a significant achievement, we remain committed to supporting Durham Public Schools in strengthening their breastfeeding education efforts and ensuring continued support for lactating staff and students. Breastfeed Durham is prepared to offer additional books and curriculum materials to further enhance classroom instruction. We also encourage other schools and districts to follow DPS’s example in integrating breastfeeding education into their curricula.
We extend our deepest gratitude to DPS leadership for their partnership and dedication to student education and family health. This achievement is a testament to what community collaboration can accomplish, and we look forward to continuing this work together.
If you are a school administrator, educator, or community member interested in integrating breastfeeding education into your school or organization, please contact us at Breastfeed Durham. We are eager to collaborate and provide the necessary resources to support this initiative. Together, we can build a community where breastfeeding is understood, supported, and celebrated! Let’s continue making Durham a leader in breastfeeding-friendly education and support!