You can earn the Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ if you have other lactation credentials; however, you may not earn the certificate if you are a current IBCLC®.
Yes, the Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ is designed to provide foundational lactation knowledge. No other lactation credentials are necessary to enrol.
No, the Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ programme is offered exclusively through the Global Centre in Lactation Training (GCLT)®. The programme includes the education, required texts, and the assessment.
The education takes approximately 50 hours to complete. You may wish to review educational materials before taking the assessment. There are three hours allotted for the assessment. You may complete the programme at your own pace, however all components of the Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ pilot programme must be complete prior to April 13, 2026.
Expect to spend approximately four hours per week on readings, videos, and interactive elements if you register before the programme opens. Students who register after the programme opens, January 13, 2026, should expect to spend more time per week due to the condensed timeline.
You may take your assessment as soon as you are ready, after you have completed all of the coursework. You will take the assessment online, in one sitting, and may take it in the comfort of your home, or whatever location you desire, as long as you have the appropriate internet connection and other system requirements described below.
The assessment is closed book. You may not refer to any materials, texts, notes, online resources, or any other materials or individuals during the assessment. Please ensure that you are well-prepared and familiar with the content before starting the assessment.
The passing standard for the assessment is determined through a professional standard-setting process led by subject matter experts from the target audience.
The assessment uses a professional standard-setting process to determine pass/fail criteria. Therefore, pilot assessment results cannot be released instantly. Results will be available early/mid summer 2026.
If you successfully pass the assessment, you will receive a certificate after you receive your results.
If you pass the assessment and are awarded the Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™, you may publicise yourself as a certificate holder. You may not imply that your achievement of the Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ constitutes a professional certification, or use any initials or designations other than the example provided below.
Maria Jones
Holder of Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ from
The Global Centre for Lactation Training (GCLT)®
The Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ pilot programme is currently offered in English only. Please note that the Centre uses British English (UK) in its products and publications, including the Certificate in Lactation Facilitation.
Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ | IBCLC® | |
Credential Type | Assessment-based Certificate | Professional Certification |
Eligibility | Completion of secondary education English fluency Non-IBCLC | 14 health science courses |
Hours of Lactation Specific Education | 50 hours included | 95 hours required |
Credentialing Organization | The Global Centre for Lactation Training | The IBCLC® Commission |
Scope of Practice | Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ Scope of Practice Note: The Certificate in Lactation Facilitation programme provides foundational knowledge and the scope is therefore more narrow than the IBCLC Scope of Practice. | IBCLC® Scope of Practice |
Credential Renewal | Every five years via the Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ programme. | Every five years via continuing education or examination. |
An individual who holds a Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ can provide basic lactation support. Situations that may be appropriate for a certificate holder include, but are not limited to:
No, the Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ programme is not designed for IBCLCs. It is not approved for CERPs and cannot be used in an IBCLC® recertification application.
The Global Centre for Lactation Training (GCLT)® does not assess the eligibility of IBCLC® candidates. The Certificate in Lactation Facilitation does provide 50 hours of lactation-specific education that is valid toward IBCLC® programme eligibility. For information on how to become an IBCLC®, please refer to the IBCLC Commission.
For technical assistance related to the education, please contact info@gclt.org. For technical assistance related to the assessment, please use the contact information provided within the assessment system.
Yes, our learning management supports the latest versions of JAWS, NVDA, Narrator in Edge, VoiceOver, and TalkBack.
Educational content can be accessed on a mobile device with the following minimum system requirements: Latest version of Safari or Google Chrome in Apple iOS/iPadOS or latest version of Google Chrome in Android OS 6 or later. JavaScript and font downloads must be enabled.
Please reach out to the Centre at info@gclt.org with questions. Please note that this email account is not continuously monitored. The Centre team reviews incoming messages periodically during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 0900-1700 (GMT -4), excluding holidays. The Centre staff aims to respond to enquiries within two to three business days.
While the achievement of the Certificate in Lactation Facilitation™ is valid toward 50 hours of lactation-specific education required for IBCLC® programme eligibility, it is not required to pursue IBCLC® certification.