This year, the World Breastfeeding Week campaign focuses on what works when helping families and their babies have a sustainable start in life. The slogan "recognises that globally, exclusive breastfeeding has reached 47%, close to the World Health Assembly’s 2025 target of 50%, which has now been extended."(1) However, as of 2023, just 29.8% of babies in the U.S. are being breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life.(2)

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) reports that, "while regions and countries face different contexts...the same core interventions keep working, and the same obstacles keep getting in the way."(3) In their work to identify what has worked, skilled support and consistent standards in healthcare facilities is highlighted. Specifically, Baby-Friendly-aligned practices and competency-based training with verification results in less unnecessary supplementation with infant formula and better early initiation of breastfeeding. WABA later reports that healthcare facilities, professional associations and training institutions should adopt competency-based training and verification.

Competency verification is an assessment of an individual’s knowledge and skills using tools that observe and measure abilities and attitudes. At its core, the competency verification method seeks to measure the ability of a professional to apply their knowledge and skills in practical situations.(4) The assessment of critical thinking and interpersonal skills are key to a robust competency verification program. Measuring competency focuses on the verification or demonstration of knowledge, skill, behavior or attitude.(5) While education alone can contribute to some individuals reaching the goal of being able to be verified, it is not the best pathway solution to demonstrate and verify that an individual is truly capable of performing the behaviors required by their profession.

The training and certification philosophy behind the CLC®, ANLC® and ALC® certifications has been competency verification since inception, with the underlying belief that although general knowledge can be gained through classroom learning about health sciences and tested through written examinations, the application of that knowledge and when to apply those skills in directly observed scenarios or case study situations is a more valuable indicator of an individual’s ability to work as a LSP.

References:
(1) https://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/2026/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Action-Folder_wbw2026.pdf
(2) https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding-data/survey/results.html
(3) Ibid
(4) Chapin EM, Chen C-H, Dumas L, et al. The Paradigm Shift in BFHI Step 2: From Training to Competency Verification. Journal of Human Lactation. March 2021. doi:10.1177/0890334421995098.
(5) Wright D. (2005). The Ultimate Guide to Competency Assessment in Health Care. Third Edition. Minneapolis: Creative Health Care Management.