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Changes to CERP Availability at LER
At Lactation Education Resources, we’re committed to providing high-quality education that prepares you to become the best lactation consultant you can be, while ensuring you get the continuing education you need to meet your goals. We’re writing today to share important information about changes happening with the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners’® (IBLCE®) Continuing Education Recognition Points (CERPs) accreditation system and how LER is responding to support you through this transition.
TL;DR — What You Need to Know
- As of December 31, 2025, IBLCE is changing its accreditation process for all education providers who offer CERPs.
- LER plans to continue providing CERPs for the vast majority of our continuing education courses, but there may be a brief gap in CERP availability in a very few cases. If you need CERPs and are currently enrolled in a course, you should plan to complete it by December 31, 2025.
- If you can’t complete your course by that deadline, you should reach out to our customer service team. We are here for you and will find a solution.
The Detailed Version
Understanding IBLCE and CERPs
The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) is the independent, international certification body for the lactation consulting profession. Founded in 1985, IBLCE develops and administers the IBCLC examination and manages the credentialing process for over 38,000 IBCLCs practicing in 136 countries worldwide.
CERPs are the continuing education credits that IBCLCs need for recertification. To maintain their credential, IBCLCs must recertify every five years, either by retaking the IBCLC exam or by completing 75 CERPs (including specific categories for lactation-specific content, ethics, and related topics) along with clinical practice hours.
What’s Changing at IBLCE
IBLCE has fundamentally changed how it accredits all providers of continuing education.
Understanding baseline feeding helps you recognize what’s changed and what goals are realistic. A child who was exclusively breastfeeding/chestfeeding will have different needs than one who was already eating solids. This information also helps you advocate effectively with medical staff who may not understand the family’s feeding history.
Previously, IBLCE offered “long-term provider” status to organizations like LER. This designation allowed approved long-term providers to assign CERPs to their own educational activities while submitting course information to IBLCE with streamlined notice and requirements.
Effective December 31, 2025, IBLCE is eliminating all long-term provider designations industry-wide. This affects not just LER, but all education providers who previously held this status.
Under IBLCE’s new system, called the “Preferred Provider Programme,” education providers must now submit each individual course to IBLCE for review and approval. IBLCE—not the provider—has sole authority to assign CERPs to education. This represents a significant shift toward centralized approval for every educational activity.
How LER Is Responding
LER is rapidly responding to ensure our students get the continuing education and CERPs they need. We are currently in the process of individually applying for CERP approval for our continuing education courses. While we anticipate approval for the vast majority of our courses, we cannot guarantee approval, as IBLCE makes the final determination. We also do not know how long IBLCE will take to respond to our applications.
Our commitment to you: LER's team is hard at work right now developing a variety of options to ensure that your educational and CERP-related needs are met during this transition.
CERPs for IBCLC Recertification
If you’re already an IBCLC, you’re likely seeking education both to deepen your practice and for the purpose of recertification. Because IBLCE is no longer accrediting long-term providers, LER is in the process of individually applying for CERP approval for each of our continuing education courses. We do not know how long it will take IBLCE to respond to these applications. While we anticipate approval, we cannot guarantee it, as the final decision rests with IBLCE.
What This Means for You
If you are currently enrolled in a CERP-awarding course: You are encouraged to complete the course in advance of the December 31, 2025 deadline. Courses completed by December 31 will award CERPs under LER's current long-term provider status.
If you cannot complete your course by December 31: Please reach out to our customer support team. Please know that our team is hard at work right now developing a variety of options and will work with you to make sure your educational and CERP-related needs are met.
Courses for Initial IBCLC Exam Eligibility
IBLCE’s CERPs policy changes also affect courses designed to prepare candidates for initial IBCLC exam eligibility. In alignment with IBLCE’s new policies, courses that prepare students for initial IBCLC certification (as opposed to those for continuing education) will no longer be eligible to offer CERPs.
You can learn more about this change by reading our blog.
Our Commitment to You
This transition represents a significant change in how continuing education is approved across the entire lactation education field. While the administrative landscape is shifting, LER’s mission remains unchanged: to develop and deliver learning opportunities in lactation and breastfeeding skills from novice to expert, contributing to the health of mothers and infants by training breastfeeding supporters to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding.
We are committed to maintaining the high-quality, evidence-based, inclusive education you’ve come to expect from LER. Our team is working diligently to navigate this transition and ensure that you have access to the continuing education and CERPs you need.
If you have questions or concerns about your specific situation, please don’t hesitate to contact our customer support team. We’re here to help you achieve your professional goals.
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