Lamaze International has been working hard for many decades to make childbirth education classes available and accessible to a wide variety of women and their families. Our training programs provide opportunities for men and women all around the world to complete a workshop and become a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) in the hopes that these educators can go on to teach Lamaze classes in their communities. Despite new educators being added to the ranks all the time, many families are unfortunately still not able to find a Lamaze class in their community. Some families, for a variety of reasons, may be unable to logistically attend an in-person class.

'This new online parent education initiative supports a key strategic imperative in Lamaze International's newly adopted strategic framework -Innovate Education and Expand to the Childbearing Years. Through optimizing digital technology, expanding content offerings and providing online delivery, we hope to reach more women earlier in pregnancy and throughout their childbearing years with Lamaze education.' - Michele Ondeck, Lamaze International President

Lamaze International is pleased to announce that families who cannot attend an in-person class now have another option for Lamaze childbirth education. The Lamaze Online Parent Center launches their first class, 'Safe and Healthy Birth: Six Simple Steps' this week. This online class offers an opportunity for parents to learn about the practices that support safe, normal, healthy birth and is based on the the Six Healthy Birth Practices that we all know so well and teach about in our classes.

This first online class has been developed by Lamaze International subject matter experts using the innovative online learning platform created by Thought Industries. Great care has been taken to create an online class that is interactive, engaging, informative and offers evidence based information in an easy to learn, understandable way for parents desiring an online option for their childbirth class. Discussion forums, downloadable documents that support the curriculum, videos, interactive activities, stories, quizzes and more all come together to create an enriching online learning environment.

Parents participating in this online class are encouraged at many points to seek out an in-person Lamaze class in their community to access the skills and expertise of local LCCEs to help them to have a safe and healthy birth.

The concept of online learning is more attractive than ever for today's parents who view their smart phones, tablets and laptops as the perfect devices for accessing information when and where they want it. We are poised to meet the need of this new style of learner with our Lamaze Online Parent Center. Birth professionals and families can explore the class in a quick preview and discover all the material that is covered. Families can enroll right away and start and move through the class at their convenience. Families can also sign up to receive notification when the additional classes are launched.

After the launch of the 'Safe and Healthy Birth: Six Simple Steps' online class, families will be able to participate in additional classes scheduled to be launched later this summer. The new class topics will include 'Prepared for Pregnancy: Start Off Right,' 'VBAC: Informed and Ready' and 'Breastfeeding Basics.'

'This initiative sets the stage for broader engagement with parents through online education, offering content in bite size pieces. It creates opportunities for educators to engage with parents in the online classes as moderators, to use as pre-work or an add-on to in person classes or private consultations, to serve as content experts for future class development, and as a referral source for in-person Lamaze classes where they are available.' -Lamaze International Education Council Chair Allison Walsh

Take a moment to look around the Lamaze Online Learning Center, peek at the pilot course and consider how these online classes can be an asset for parents to take advantage of, in addition to in-person participation. The 'Prepared for Pregnancy: Start Off Right' course will hopefully generate primary interest in Lamaze offerings and motivate more families to seek out classes offered by Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educators local to them. As always, you can count on Lamaze International to continue to be a leader in evidence based childbirth education.

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