Daycare charges more for breastfed babies

I was shocked, horrified, and saddened when I read this post on the Lactivist Breastfeeding Blog: http://thelactivist.blogspot.com/2007/02/city-kids-daycare-chain-charges-mom.html

The City Kids Daycare chain in Ohio charges $50 extra per week for breastfed infants because, according to them, breast milk is a biohazard and requires extra preparation. They store expressed breast milk in a separate fridge with a BIOHAZARD sticker. The blog posting above covers how ludicrous both these claims are, and how they're completely opposite from actual reality, so I won't get into it here.

I also won't get into a long-winded discussion about the innumerable benefits of breastfeeding for babies, mothers - and daycare centers(!) - because I think that's better addressed in a separate post. But I'd like to share this info with my readers. If you wish to take action, there are email addresses and phone numbers in the Lactivist's blog post listed above.

I sent the owner of the center the following message (since I do not live in Ohio to attend any protests):

Ms. Elam:

I was shocked and saddened to read about the policy of your daycare center to discriminate against breastfed infants. If, by your logic, breast milk is a biohazard, then what is a baby's spit up? Do you charge extra for babies who spit up? What about babies who urinate? Is urine not a bodily fluid, and therefore a biohazard, by your standards?

It's a sad, sorry state of affairs that people trusted to care for our children can be so ill-informed and ignorant. I hope that, now that this "policy" is gaining so much attention, you will educate yourself and your staff about the incredible benefits of breastfeeding.

Sincerely,
. . .

I didn't expect (and indeed have not received a response).

I am truly grateful that my daughter's daycare center is happy to feed her the expressed breast milk I provide. They encourage breastfeeding and have several rocking chairs for moms who are able to drop in during the day to nurse. They also know that the breastfed babies get fewer colds and other illnesses on top of the other benefits of breastfeeding. In other words, they are not backwards and ignorant.