At Main Street Delaware, we believe a vibrant downtown should be welcoming and accessible to everyone, including parents with young children.
We’re excited to announce that the Delaware Welcome Center is now home to a private pumping and breastfeeding room, providing parents with a comfortable, secure space to care for and feed their children while visiting Downtown Delaware during Main Street Delaware events.
Creating a welcoming and inclusive downtown means ensuring that everyone can comfortably enjoy community events, shop local businesses, dine at our restaurants, and spend time exploring everything Downtown Delaware has to offer. The new lactation room offers parents a clean, private, and dedicated space to pump or breastfeed if they prefer a quiet, private setting during their visit.
The project began with a simple conversation. Earlier this year, Lauren Robinson and Sara Bayless of the Delaware Public Health District’s WIC Division stopped by the Welcome Center to discuss an important need in our community. While many downtown employers want to support breastfeeding employees, Delaware’s historic buildings aren’t always designed with the private space needed for pumping during the workday. They asked an important question:
How can we better support downtown employees while also creating a more welcoming environment for families visiting our community?
That conversation quickly grew into a community partnership. To address the needs of downtown employees, COhatch Delaware stepped forward to make its private lactation room available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., providing a convenient location within walking distance for employees who need a private place to pump during the workday.
But another question remained: What about parents visiting Downtown Delaware during First Fridays, the Farmers’ Market, festivals, concerts, and other special events?
That’s where the Delaware Welcome Center comes in. Main Street Delaware is proud to now offer a dedicated pumping and breastfeeding room during our downtown events, giving parents the option of a welcoming, private place to nurse or pump if they choose. Whether you’re shopping, dining, attending an event, or simply spending the day downtown, we hope this space helps make your visit a little more comfortable.
The Delaware Public Health District helped make this project possible by providing funding for several important additions to the room, including a comfortable chair for breastfeeding parents, privacy window frosting, and a lock for the door. These thoughtful improvements transformed the space into a comfortable, functional, and private resource for families.
“We are truly excited about what these creative new spaces mean for the families we serve who work in or visit downtown Delaware,” said Lauren Robinson, Breastfeeding Coordinator at the Delaware Public Health District. “Providing a welcoming place to breastfeed or pump is an important step in helping families meet their breastfeeding goals and provide human milk for their infants.”
This project is a wonderful example of what can happen when organizations come together to meet a community need. Main Street Delaware is grateful to the Delaware Public Health District and COhatch Delaware for their partnership and shared commitment to supporting working parents and families.
As Downtown Delaware continues to grow, we’re committed to creating spaces where businesses, employees, residents, and visitors all feel welcome. By offering a lactation room at the Welcome Center during special events and partnering with COhatch to provide weekday access for downtown employees, we’re helping ensure parents have a comfortable place to care for and feed their children whenever they’re in Downtown Delaware.
We hope this new resource allows families to spend a little more time enjoying our downtown, knowing there’s a welcoming space available whenever they need it.
Locations & Availability
Delaware Welcome Center
20 E. William Street
Available during Main Street Delaware special events
COhatch Delaware
18 E. William Street
Monday through Friday | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
To reserve the COhatch space, contact:
Laurie Lendon
laurie@cohatch.com
614-324-9398
