Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
The aim of this project is to engage in an expansive and equitable outreach and recruitment project that is designed to cultivate diverse baccalaureate level graduates at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) who are trained to support optimal infant nutrition and are prepared and motivated to enter the USDA food workforce as Certified Lactation Counselors (CLC). To bridge the breastfeeding initiation gap among WIC parents from underserved communities and to address the food insecurity challenges they face, the Biden-Harris Administration called for a dramatic expansion of breastfeeding support for parents at WIC programs. This project aims to advance that goal by attracting, retaining, graduating, and motivating individuals from underserved communities to become lactation professionals and to secure work within a USDA's administered WIC Program, where they can support parents' breastfeeding goals. This will be accomplished by: a) conducting outreach targeting undergraduate students from underserved communities at CSUN to promote career options as lactation professionals; b) recruiting 80 Lactation Fellows; and c) implementing a variety of interventions designed to improve the Lactation Fellow's graduation rate and become lactation professionals working at WIC programs. Each Fellow will receive 1) a lactation competency verification workshop, 2) a CLC exam review preparation course, 3) the CLC exam registration fee, and 4) two 20-hour experiential learning opportunities at a WIC program. Also, each Fellow will participate in a three-semester long Lactation Fellowship Program, a Career & Leadership Workshop, and receive funding to attend two USDA WIC-sponsored networking events and participate in an industry mentorship program.
Animal Health Component
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Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
This project's overarching goal is to recruit, retain, and graduate diverse baccalaureate-level graduates trained to support optimal infant nutrition and prepared to enter the USDA food workforce as Certified Lactation Counselors. The project objectives include:Objective #1:By July 1, 2028, increase the number of undergraduate students from underrepresented communities pursuing a Minor in Human Lactation to 92 from a baseline of 58.Objective #2: By July 1, 2028, recruit and enroll 80 students from underserved communities into CSUN's lactation fellowship programObjective #3:. By July 1, 2028, achieve a 90% retention rate of the Lactation Fellows from junior to senior year at CSUN.Objective #4:By July 1, 2028, 80 Lactation Fellows will participate in a lactation career and leadership development program and lactation education experiential learning at a USDA WIC-affiliated program.Objectives #5:By July 1, 2028, 80 Lactation Fellows will participate in a lactation career and leadership development program and lactation education experiential learning at a USDA WIC-affiliated program.Objective #6:By July 1, 2028, 60 Lactation Fellows will successfully complete the Lactation academic content checklist eligibility requirement for the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice (ALPP) Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) exam.Objective #67By July 1, 2028, 60 Lactation Fellows will successfully complete the Lactation Competency Verification eligibility requirement for the ALPP CLC exam.Objective #8:By July 1, 2028, 100% of Lactation Fellows who sit for the ALPP CLC exam will pass and earn the designation of a CLC.
Project Methods
Below is a description of the methods that will be used to achieve each of the project objectives Objective #1:By July 1, 2028, increase the number of undergraduate students from underrepresented communities pursuing a Minor in Human Lactation to 92 from a baseline of 58.To achieve objective #1, we will raise students' awareness about CSUN's minor in human lactation program and careers in lactation via social media and email campaigns, classroom outreach presentations, and a Minor in Human Lactation information sessions.Objective #2 By July 1, 2028, recruit and enroll 80 students from underserved communities in CSUN's lactation fellowship program To achieve objective #2, we will develop and promote applications for the lactation fellowship program, review them, and select lactation fellows.Objective #3:. By July 1, 2028, achieve a 90% retention rate of Lactation Fellows from junior to senior year at CSUN.To achieve objective #3, we will facilitate regular meetings between the lactation fellows, 1) the Minor in human lactation academic advisor, and 2) the lactation fellows' industry mentor.Objective #4:By July 1, 2028, 80 Lactation Fellows will participate in a lactation career and leadership development program and lactation education experiential learning at a USDA WIC-affiliated program.To achieve objective 4, we will develop and implement a lactation leadership development program and lactation education experiential learning at a USDA WIC-affiliated program.Objective #5:By July 1, 2028, 60 Lactation Fellows will successfully complete the Lactation academic content checklist eligibility requirement for the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice (ALPP) Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) exam.To achieve objective #5 we will ensure lactation fellows complete our introductory and advanced level lactation courses which cover all academic content required to be eligible to sit for the ALPP CLC exam.Objective #6:By July 1, 2028, 60 Lactation Fellows will successfully complete the Lactation Competency Verification eligibility requirement for the ALPP CLC exam.To achieve objective 6, we will develop a training course that provides lactation fellows with the ability to develop the competencies required to be verified for the ALPP CLC.Objective #7:By July 1, 2028, 100% of Lactation Fellows who sit for the ALPP CLC exam will pass and earn the designation of a CLC.To achieve objective 7, we will develop and implement a CLC exam prep course that prepares lactation fellows to pass the ALPP CLC exam.