COMMUNITY-ROOTED TRAINING

PERINATAL COMMUNITY LEADER TRAINING

Our AAVE Perinatal Community Health Leader Training is designed to educate and certify passionate individuals in seven leading perinatal-focused career paths. Upon successful completion, AAVE PCHLs will be well-versed in birth and postpartum care for the whole family, health promotion, lactation management, the birthing process, and mental health support—regardless of the families they serve. This training prepares community leaders to step into perinatal roles with confidence, cultural humility, and the skills needed to advance maternal health equity.

Key Outcomes

Master systemic advocacy and community organizing for birth justice.
Integrate culturally tailored perinatal traditions into modern health settings.
Develop sustainable doulas business models for career longevity.
Bridge the gap between hospital systems and community-based care.
Gain skills to better support marginalized communities.

What You’ll Learn in This Program

Preconception & adolescent health
Pregnancy (Trimesters 1–3)
Labor & Delivery
Postpartum support for the whole family
Lactation & feeding
Maternal & infant loss
Mental health
Medical conditions & health literacy
Medical system & navigation
Social services & cultural differences
Social determinants of health
Sustaining a doula career & Medicaid billing
Outreach, prevention & intervention

INQUIRE

Next Training Dates

This training equips trainees with up to 7 certifications in non-medical careers:

Certified Community Based Doula

Certified Childbirth Educator

Certified Peer Lactation Counselor

Certified Perinatal Community Health Worker

Certified Newborn Care Specialist

Certified Perinatal Bereavement Specialist

Certified Mental Health First Aider

This is a highly intensive 14-week hybrid training.

If you are not mentally or physical prepared to be present during all sessions, we strongly encourage you to apply once you're ready!

Next application window: OPENS JANUARY 2027.

Residents of New Jersey - may enroll for free. Out of state residents - $500.

The training requires a mandatory 3-month mentorship post training.

FAQ: what makes the AAVE PHL training DIFFERENT than other trainings?

The programs has a comprehensive, "all-inclusive, one-stop" design. Traditional certifying organizations often leave gaps in business training, charge recurring fees, and require students to find external courses to complete their certification.

The AAVE Doula Collaborative addresses these common pain points directly through several key pillars:

🚀 Direct Bridge to Paid Work & Medicaid

Most traditional courses teach anatomy and labor comfort but leave doulas completely unprepared to make a living. The PHL program is unique because it integrates a dedicated Insurance & Business division.

Medicaid Infrastructure: We give you step-by-step assistance enrolling as a state Medicaid provider (such as NJ FamilyCare).
Billing Systems: We teach you how to handle complex Managed Care Organization (MCO) credentialing and claims processes, so you actually get reimbursed.
Workforce Development: Rather than just giving you a certificate and sending you away, we focus heavily on workforce sustainability to turn birth work into a long-term professional career.

🩺 7 Certifications vs. 1 Standard Credential

Typical training programs certify you as either a birth doula or a postpartum doula. The PHL course is a broad, full-spectrum track that awards up to 7 distinct certifications simultaneously (including Perinatal Community Health Worker, Childbirth Educator, and Bereavement Specialist), significantly expanding your employment opportunities.

📦 Zero Post-Training Requirements

With many legacy organizations, finishing your class hours is just the beginning of a long, expensive checklist. The PHL curriculum is built completely in-house to eliminate post-training stressors.

By the time you graduate, you have already completed everything built directly into the 14 weeks:

All birth, prenatal and postpartum experiences
CPR certification
Liability Insurance
Childbirth education requirements
Lactation requirements
HIPAA, Trauma Informed Care and more!

✊ Culturally Rooted & Reproductive Justice Centered

Many mainstream doula associations have faced criticism for lacking equity and failing to address systemic birth disparities. The AAVE PHL training created by doulas, for birth workers focuses on serving BIPOC marginalized groups. The entire curriculum is culturally congruent, addressing the language, lived experiences, and specific traditions of historically marginalized communities to actively fight the maternal mortality crisis.

👭 Automatic, Ongoing Mentorship

A massive complaint in the doula community is the isolation felt after training ends. AAVE removes this barrier by automatically transitioning every graduate into a professional mentorship program with an active community network, ensuring you are supported as you take on your first independent clients.