Therefore, researchers stress, education on breastfeeding should begin in the classroom. The New York State Department of Health responded to this challenge by creating a set of activities that incorporate breastfeeding into existing subjects in primary and secondary schools. The activities are tied to the New York State nutrition curriculum, although their use is voluntary. Dr. Mary Applegate, Medical Director, Bureau of Women's Health at the New York State Department of Health, said that the breastfeeding curriculum was developed this way to help normalize discussion of breastfeeding and infant care, even in the earliest grades. Since 1995, the curriculum has been requested from interested individuals and schools around the world.
Higher education is also on the breastfeeding bandwagon.
Universities and colleges now incorporate breastfeeding topics into health, nutrition and human sciences curricula. Some are even adding breastfeeding into subjects in law, environmental sciences, engineering and agriculture. At many schools, students, faculty and staff are also being encouraged to breastfeed their own children through supportive school breastfeeding policies and facilities. These efforts successfully integrate both classroom lecture and personal experience to foster supportive attitudes and practices among gradutes in their professions. Breastfeeding advocates are encouraged by the progress, but they still see hard work ahead.