ICPA Seminar Policy on Children in Classes

To avoid distracting situations with children attending the classes we have established these policies:

The I.C.P.A. does allow and support breastfeeding mothers who are participating in the seminars to learn more about pediatrics and pregnancy. However, the noise level from the attending infants must be a minimum at the seminars. It is very difficult to concentrate when there is a child who is making cooing, whining, crying, laughing or significant noises.

As parents, we get accustomed to the little sounds that our children can make. This can be very distracting to those who do not have children. We are asking mothers to be overly sensitive and as soon as a child makes a noise (either pleasant or not) to leave the room. In this way all attendees will be respectful of others and their ability to concentrate at the seminars.

We have found that children over nine months of age are unable to sit quietly through a twelve hour session. Not only is it distracting to other attendees but the time the mother has to spend out of the room with the child is taking away from her classroom hours as well.  This is a serious consideration for the mother’s ability to fulfill the ICPA classroom hour attendance policy as these hours will be deducted from her attendance hours and may require make-up. It is our strong recommendation that mothers have an assistant present with her during the weekend who is able to tend to the child and yet have the child on-site for breastfeeding or other irreplaceable needs.

Children of all ages are welcome in those classes during specific time where the instructor has invited parents to bring them for demonstration purposes.

Thank you for your attention and consideration.