“I feel very lucky that I found this course. The women were passionate about the topics they spoke on, the material was evidenced based, and the overall information provided made me feel confident in taking the next steps to become a CLC!”

“I absolutely loved taking this course, I have learned so much and really feel confident in my lactation counseling skills. Wonderful teachers! Thank you all for the great experience!”

“I loved having the sections broken up with self-check questions at the end and seeing faculty interact with each other. The office hours were also really helpful and I loved that the faculty personalized it and made connections with students.”

“Really enjoyed the course. Office hours and questions answered via email were very helpful. Faculty was very knowledgeable. Still feel I have much to learn, but I already have changed the way I help my breastfeeding NICU moms.Enjoyed learning how breastfeeding issues are dealt with in other countries. Looking forward to staying in touch, hopefully attending the Florida breastfeeding conference. THANK YOU so much for sharing your expertise, it would have been so nice to see you in person, but the online format worked well.”

“I thought everything about the course was incredible! I learned so much and really feel prepared for the exam and to go out into the field.”

The Center for Breastfeeding’s Lactation Counselor Training Course is a college-level course designed to provide up-to-date, research-based information and clinical competency validation for the provision of professional lactation care. This 52-hour course is offered online in a self-paced format with videos, self-check questions, weekly office hours and competency verification. After the completion of the course, participants are eligible to take the CLC® examination, the premier national certification in lactation management for the United States, administered online by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice (ALPP). There are more than 23,000 CLCs in the United States and abroad.

Breastfeeding is an important public health issue. To better support breastfeeding families, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, among other international and national health authorities, recommend that all maternal/child health care workers be educated in the skills necessary to support breastfeeding families.

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The research and competency-based lactation management training provides:

  • Comprehensive breastfeeding management training
  • Practical skills that will make you more effective in your job
  • Time-saving hospital strategies that make breastfeeding a success
  • Strategies and tips for special circumstances – premies, Down Syndrome, newborns affected by medications, and more
  • How to talk to mothers in a way that encourages them to choose breastfeeding
  • Public Health/WIC strategies that work to increase breastfeeding success

Successful completion of the course signifies that the learner has met the required competencies and has a firm grounding in information and counseling skills required to provide support to breastfeeding mothers and their children.

Our course provides continuing education for registered nurses, lactation consultants, lactation counselors, and dietitians.

Completion of this course also satisfies the 20-hour staff member training requirement of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). The contact hours received through this five-day course may be applied to the continuing education hours required to sit for the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (“IBLCE”) examination or to renew the IBLCE credential by CERPs.

Contact Hours: RNs: 52; CLCs: 52 Contact Hours; IBLCs: 52 L-CERPs; College Credit Recommendations: 3

For more information about course accreditation information, click here.

Participants who successfully complete the entire CLC course can also take an additional 168 hours of online learning. (Not required for CLC Certification.)

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Course Content and Format
The online course offers the same up-to-date, comprehensive, evidence-based content and strong focus on clinical counseling and assessment skills that are the hallmark of the in-person LCTC, but delivered in the safety and comfort of the home. The online LCTC is a self-paced online course presented in an engaging and energetic format through videos, self-check questions, and competency verification. The course should take 52 hours to complete (just like the in-person version), but participants have up to 6 months to complete it. Participants can stop and start throughout the course.

Office Hours
Faculty hold twice-weekly virtual office hours to answer additional questions for online participants. Participants can email questions in advance or ask questions during the office hours in the chat feature of the program. In the absence of in-person learning, this feature replicates the value of hearing others’ questions. Office Hours are recorded, and available within the course for a week after the live session, in case participants were unable to join us during the session. Additionally, frequently asked questions are logged and labeled by topic within the course, so that students can revisit and review the questions at their convenience.

Online CLC© Exam
A remotely-proctored CLC© exam is now available from the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice. The exam lasts up to three hours and will require internet access and a computer with a functioning video camera/webcam and audio. Time slots are currently available Monday-Friday between 9am-5pm EST. To learn how to schedule your CLC exam after completing the eligibility requirements, please email info@alpp.org. For more information about the CLC Exam, please see www.alpp.org.

Technical Requirements
You will need a recent laptop or desktop computer running Windows 10, Linux or Mac OS. This course requires the use of a web browser. Only the current versions of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge/Edge Chromium are supported. This course requires 5Mbps or more of internet download speed for videos and course resources to operate properly. You will also need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to open PDF files. For more information about the technology requirements for the CLC Exam, please click here.

Download Flyers

How do I become a CLC? Download our Online LCTC flyer for information about the course.

What is a CLC? Download the flyer from The Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice (ALPP).

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