Standards credits are earned through courses or activities offered by Lamaze, including but not limited to:

• Attending a Lamaze event (webinar, seminar, workshop, conference), either in-person or virtually
• Attending an event offered by an approved provider*.
• Completing online education offerings housed within the Lamaze Learning Center, including:
  • Webinars
  • JPE Homestudies
  • Learning Modules
• Taking a Lamaze Specialty Workshop

*Relevant activities that relate to one of the Lamaze Competencies, completed through a non-approved provider, may be accepted as credit. If you are unsure if your activity will be accepted, email the course details to certification@lamaze.org.

Alternate credits are categorized as an experience (or a combination of experiences) that helps you grow your childbirth educator skills and are not necessarily educational courses. Alternate credit may be earned from a single category of activities or a combination of multiple categories.

Up to 10 alternate credits may be submitted toward your recertification.

See below for Alternate Credit Activities.

Continuous Presence During Labor and Birth
Earn one hour of alternate credit for each hour of a labor and birth that you are continuously present during. A completed birth observation form must be kept in your records and presented upon request.
Note: When you click the link above, the file will download to your computer as a Word document. You will need to open the file from your Downloads folder.

Class Observation
Earn one hour of alternative credit for each hour you observe a childbirth educator in a class setting.

Education or Certification Committee Service
Earn alternate credit by serving on a Lamaze council or committee (e.g. Education Council). The Lamaze Administrative office will verify service hours.

Publication
Earn up to 10 hours of alternate credit for the first-time publication of a book, book chapter or an article directly related to childbirth education. Earn up to five hours for considerably editing or rewriting a publication.

Lecture/Presentation
Earn one hour of alternate credit for each hour of a lecture or presentation that you give at the undergraduate or graduate level. You can also present at a conference or within a university. All lectures or presentations must be childbirth education-related, and alternate credit will only be awarded for first-time presentations. An outline of the lecture or presentation must be submitted with the alternate credit form.

1. Promotes the childbearing experience as a normal, natural, and healthy process which profoundly affects women and their families.
2. Assists women and their families to discover and to use strategies to facilitate normal, natural, and healthy pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and early parenting.
3. Helps women and their families to understand how complications and interventions influence the normal course of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and early postpartum.
4. Provides information and support that encourages attachment between babies and their families. 
5. Assists women and their families to make informed decisions for childbearing.
6. Acts as an advocate to promote, support, and protect natural, safe and healthy birth.
7. Designs, teaches, and evaluates a course in Lamaze preparation that increases a woman’s confidence and ability to give birth.

Acceptable Continuing Education Topics

• Pregnancy, Labor and the Postpartum Period
• Increasing Women’s Confidence in Labor
• Promoting Healthy Birth for Optimal Outcomes
• Promoting, Supporting and Protecting Breastfeeding
• Teaching Adult Learners
   

Unacceptable Continuing Education Topics

• Neonatal Resuscitation
• Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring
• Menopause
• Breast Cancer
• Health issues NOT directly applicable to pregnancy, labor or the postpartum period

LCCEs who do not meet their respective recertification deadlines are considered lapsed and are not eligible to use the LCCE credential. Educators are granted a 12-month “grace” period in which they are required to submit five additional credits and pay a $40 USD late fee.

Educators who do not reinstate their certification within 12 months of their due date must apply for initial certification and comply with all initial certification requirements and fees in place at the time of application. See LCCE Certification.

If you are an expired LCCE, please reach out to certification@lamaze.org when you are ready to apply for the exam and share that you are an expired LCCE, as a staff members will need to assist you in finalizing your application. You will still submit the same exam application in the Certification Center.