The International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) as a professional organization supports educators and other health care providers who believe in freedom of choice based on knowledge of alternatives in family-centered maternity and newborn care.

ICEA's goals are to provide:

• Professional continuing education and training programs
• Quality educational resources
• Professional certification programs

ICEA certification programs are independent study programs. All ICEA certification program fees are nonrefundable. Policy and procedures are subject to change; all changes will be published in the International Journal of Childbirth Education.

Membership

Maintaining continuous ICEA membership exposes the candidate to ICEA goals and philosophy through the quarterly publication International Journal of Childbirth Education. Candidates must maintain membership in either the individual member or supporting member categories. Loss of continuous membership for any reason may result in disruption of the certification process and possible penalties or removal from certification programs.

Contact Hours

ICEA contact hours are similar to nursing continuing education units (CEUs). Contact hours are awarded to programs offering face-to-face learning that meet the needs of educators and providers while supporting ICEA philosophy. Program sponsors apply for ICEA contact hours. Sponsors may also apply for ICEA alternate contact hours for programs such as correspondence courses, slide-tape programs, or video programs that do not offer direct, face-to-face learning. ICEA retroactive contact hours may be applied for face-to-face programs that did not have ICEA contact hours prior to the event. Individuals who attend such an event apply on their own behalf for this retroactive approval. A fee of $25 is charged for each individual per retroactive application.

ICEA offers Professional Training Workshops - Basic Teacher Training for the Childbirth Educator, Postnatal Educator Training, Perinatal Fitness Educator Training, and Doula and Labor Support Training, at several locations throughout each year. These workshops are designed to train educators and providers, and to strengthen educational skills for educators and doulas. Contact the ICEA Central Office for dates, locations and registration information, or visit Training category on this website.

Candidates must obtain at least one half of required contact hours through direct face-to-face learning experiences. The remaining half may come from alternate means. All required contact hours may be obtained through retroactive means.

ICEA maintains a current calendar of events that lists all upcoming contact hour approved programs. This is free of charge from ICEA to those in ICEA certification programs. Because new ICEA events are added as applications are received, candidates are urged to request a revised copy periodically. The International Journal of Childbirth Education lists a portion of the events.

The contact hour requirement is the only prerequisite that can be completed before enrolling in any certification program. However, the ICEA contact hours must be no more than two years old when the candidate applies for the certification examination or for ICEA doula certification.

Certification Examination

ICEA certification examinations are professionally prepared examinations consisting of 250 multiple-choice questions for the childbirth educator and perinatal fitness educator certification programs, and 200 multiple-choice questions for the postnatal educator certification program. The certification examination questions are taken directly from the learning objectives and content of the modules, using the required readings. Four hours are allowed for the examination. It is a closed book, proctored examination. If English is a second language for the candidate, permission may be given for use of a nonmedical English/primary language dictionary and one additional hour to complete the examination. The childbirth educator and perinatal fitness educator certification programs require a passing score of 70 percent or 175 correctly answered questions; the postnatal educator program requires a passing score of 70 percent or 140 correctly answered questions. There is no penalty for incorrect answers.

Candidates in the childbirth educator traditional program and the perinatal fitness educator program have one year to take the certification examination after they have submitted their application, which includes documentation of having completed the prerequisites. Candidates in the childbirth educator experienced program and the postnatal educator program must take the certification examination within one year of entering the program. Completed examination applications must be received by the Central Office a minimum of sixty days prior to the requested examination date. Candidates schedule the examination and arrange for a proctor in their own area. The certification examination fee is $99 for those taking the certification examination scheduled and proctored by ICEA at the annual ICEA International Convention, $200 if taken at a different time. Candidates must be registered to attend the convention to receive this discounted rate. In the event of a fail grade, the candidate may retake the examination as many times as necessary within one year from the time of the first fail date, providing examination repeat guidelines are followed.

There is no examination for ICEA doula certification.

Estimated Costs for ICEA Certification

• ICEA membership - $50 per year
  
• Enrollment - $100
  
• Evaluated teaching series, if required (some evaluators will volunteer their time; others will charge a fee) - $125-$250
  
• Contact hours - $125-$400
  
• Required readings - $125-$300
  
• Certification examination fee, if required - $200

The cost of some items will vary depending on individual circumstances. All program fees are nonrefundable. ICEA is a nonprofit organization and costs are kept as low as possible.

Support Services

The ICEA Certification Coordinator maintains the certification files in the ICEA Central Office. Questions regarding the program or forms related to certification should be directed to the ICEA Central Office, PO Box 20048, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55420 USA (952/854-8660) or call 800-827-ICEA. Staff members maintain membership files, operate the ICEA Bookcenter and handle clerical aspects of administering certification. A copy of all correspondence about the program should be sent to the ICEA Certification Coordinator to be included in the candidate's file.

Individuals successfully completing ICEA certification program requirements will receive documentation of certification, a certification identification card and recertification materials. All ICEA certified individuals will be listed on ICEA web pages as well as be included on ICEA's referral list that is maintained for consumer use. ICEA certified childbirth educators may use the initials ICCE after their name, ICEA certified postnatal educators may use the initials ICPE after their names, ICEA certified perinatal fitness educators may use the initials ICPFE after their names, and ICEA certified doulas may use the initials ICD after their names.

All required readings for the ICEA certification programs are available from the ICEA Bookcenter, PO Box 20048, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55420. 952/854-8660, 800/624-4934, www.icea.org.