Beginning this fall, breastfeeding mothers will have access to safe and sanitary lactation stations on every campus at Montgomery College. The newly added Mamava lactation suites are provided for first-year mothers to pump or to nurse their babies.

The outside of the Mamava model features a touch key activation door to provide safe access for mothers on the go. The key fob is only provided to pumping or breastfeeding mothers, who request permission from the Title IX Coordinator Mr. Christopher Moy for access.

There are currently five people, including students and faculty members, that have access to the pods on all three campuses. The number of students and staff who are granted access to the facilities is expected to fluctuate on a rolling basis.

“We are ensuring that they are able to come to Montgomery College and get an education and provide them access to their child,” said Moy.

The Title IX law ensures that no one is denied benefits or subjected to discrimination while they are in an educational institution that receives money from the federal government.

In 2015, the Department of Education distributed guidelines for educational institutions to provide assistance to students and facility that recently gave birth.

The Mamava lactation station was piloted on the Rockville campus for two years before the pods were implemented campus-wide. This summer, three more lactation suites were purchased for the remaining two campuses. Two pods are located on both sides of the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus.

“We are trying to make people aware that these pods are now available,” said Moy.

The pods at Montgomery College are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Each Mamava lactation suite that complies with ADA standards costs about $18,000.

The stations’ interior design-layout includes motion-activated lighting, a dual outlet, two benches, a mirror and a fold-down table. It does not include any equipment to assist with lactation.

On the Rockville campus, the Mamava pod is located in the Science Center lobby, near room 110.

On the Germantown campus, students and staff can find a Mamava lactation suite in the High Technology and Science Center building between rooms 103 and 104.

The Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus is equipped with two Mamava lactation suites. One suite is inside the Catherine F. Scott Commons building, between rooms 112 and 114. The other suite is located in the Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, next to room 216.

If you’re a new mother or expecting a child and would like more information regarding access to the Mamava lactation suites, contact Montgomery College Title IX Coordinator, Christopher Moy at 240-567-5412.