HR Question of the Week

HR Question of the week

Does Kent State have lactation rooms available?

Yes, faculty and staff who are nursing mothers now have the option of using a lactation room.

The resource for new mothers is part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (the federal health care reform law). The legislation requires employers to provide nursing mothers with reasonable break time to express breast milk for the first year following the birth of a child. A room must also be provided to express milk and the room must be shielded from view, free from intrusion by co-workers and the public and cannot be a bathroom.

There are currently five designated lactation rooms on the Kent Campus, and a designated room at each Regional Campus. You can view the locations and contact information here.

Use of the lactation rooms is optional for nursing moms. Employees who wish to use one of the rooms should call the phone number listed for that location prior to their first visit to make arrangements and determine a schedule. Each room is supplied with a small refrigerator, table and chair.

While the federal legislation does not require employers to pay employees for the time spent nursing, Kent State employees are permitted to use break and lunch time for this purpose. Additional, reasonable breaks will be permitted as needed.

The Division of Human Resources and the Office of the University Architect worked together to determine the room locations and the guidelines. Nursing mothers who may need other arrangements should contact Carla Wyckoff, Division of Human Resources communications manager, at 330-672-5857 or cwyckof1@kent.edu.

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