BADT Turned 5 + So Many Other 2024 Celebrations
It always feels good to have opportunities to slow down and check in. The turning of the calendar can be one of those times, and we are honored to recap our 2024 celebrations and vision into 2025 with you all.
But first, a moment of gratitude. Our community is everything to us! We are here and thriving and creating cool courses because of YOU. Thank you for being here, cocreating a rich learning environment with us, and contributing to the future of Reproductive Justice.
2024 Snapshots
BADT turned 5 years old! This feels like a special milestone! We’ve navigated a lot of change and transformation in these first handful of years, while staying focused on our core values. It’s such an honor to have a place in the birth work space, to be a name that people know and recommend, and to collaborate with really rad teachers and course participants.
12-Week Full Spectrum Doula (FSD) Training: We had 633 participants across our two live cohorts in 2024! FSD is our bread and butter, and we are thrilled that folks around the world (at least 14 different countries) show up for this transformative learning experience.
12-Week Full Spectrum Lactation Educator (FSLE) Training: What a joy to launch a new course and have such great success! We had 285 enrollments in FSLE last year. This course continues to be offered in the prerecorded format and will be offered live again in June of this year.
Continuing Education (CE) Courses: In 2024, we relaunched our abortion classes, which couldn’t be more timely. This education and resource is imperative in a time when bodily autonomy is under increased attack. We continued to offer Supporting People Who Use Drugs and Those In Recovery and Racism & Privilege in Birthwork as well. (More CE updates coming this year, see below). Across all of our Continuing Education courses, we had 726 enrollments in 2024.
Spanish Language Offerings: We launched a Spanish language translation of our FSD training, making this education even more accessible around the globe! Additionally, we created Spanish language forms for Full Spectrum Intake Forms, Postpartum Doula Forms & Handouts, and Birth Basics Handouts.
Medicaid Approval: BADT’s Full-Spectrum Training is now a Medicaid-approved doula training in 19 states and more soon to come! We are constantly working to expand access to doula support, and Medicaid approval benefits both doulas and the birthing people in their communities.
Scholarships and financial accessibility: In 2024 we offered a total of 560 scholarships to course participants! From the beginning, we have focused on financial accessibility, and we remain committed to structuring our business in ways that make space for all students to join us.
328 of our 633 FSD participants received some level of scholarship, which is over 50% of enrollments for this course!
We also offered 71 Abortion Doula scholarships.
Aspiring students should stay tuned via our email list for upcoming scholarship opportunities. If you’re interested in contributing to our 2025 scholarship fund, please visit this page to learn more.
External sponsorships: As we’ve built a name for ourselves, we’ve had more and more offers from community based organizations, academic institutions, healthcare and state departments, insurance companies, and other places of employment to sponsor students in our courses. The community at large has shown a commitment to helping their team receive more professional development and training in an effort to increase Reproductive Justice support in their local communities; this is such a gift! In 2024, we had a total of 49 external scholarships.
BADT Directory: As of the end of the year, we have 1,152 active members on our directory, which serves as a resource for families seeking inclusive and affirming doula support, as well as a tool for connecting birth worker to birth worker.
Blog: The BADT blog was alive in 2024! We published 24 new pieces last year. Scroll through or use the search field on our website to research different topics, and stay tuned for new 2025 resources.
Community Events: Throughout the last year, we offered 4 free, live community events, including: Fertility Support, Postpartum Care during Lactation, BADT’s Birthday Bash, and Pathways to Inclusivity. Our community events are always open to everyone - you don’t have to be a BADT student to join!
Looking Forward to 2025
We have a lot to be excited about as we move into this new year.
First and foremost, we are offering our *first* IRL event in March! Our Full Spectrum Doula Practicum will take place in Atlanta on March 28-29. This two-day training will include hands-on doula practices, demonstrations, roleplays, and sessions covering the full spectrum of doula work. We’ll cover comfort measures, postpartum healing, grief, self care for doulas, business strategy, and more. Please note that this offering is currently only for past and current BADT 12-week training students, including those who enroll in our Spring FSD cohort. Learn more and sign up here.
The first event of the year is our FREE Reclaiming Our Bodies Conference, which takes place virtually on January 25 and 26. Join us for thought-provoking sessions, movement and breathwork, and quality time in community and with yourself!
In 2025, we will be updating and revamping a number of courses including our 12-week Childbirth Educator and Postpartum Doula Trainings. These will be offered in prerecorded format, and will also be available as a bundle with our live 12-week Full Spectrum Doula and Full Spectrum Lactation Educator Trainings to help extend your learning even further.
Additionally, we will re-release our Queer and Trans Reproductive Support and Fertility and Preconception 4-week CE courses. More information about dates to come!
This year, stay tuned for more content from us, including interviews, student features, as well a special space dedicated to parents, because as parents, we need all the community we can get. (We can’t wait for the official launch announcement of that last one…so excited!)
As always, we will continue to share free resources through our blog, including some longer form educational pieces.
Be sure to sign up for our newsletters so you don’t miss a new publication!
Via Instagram, we will continue to offer occasional live chats and events, plus regular content to keep you looped in to offerings and crucial conversations.
Can’t wait to learn and grow and vision towards liberation with you in 2025 and beyond.