WIC mothers are less likely to breastfeed for quite a number of reasons.
 They are more likely to "supplement" with ABM or wean earlier to ABM or
cow's milk, if they can't afford the former.

Given this, infant feeding classes at WIC will probably always include
bottle feeding instruction, sad as it may seem. It is hard enough to get
a client to show up to pick up their vouchers due to their circumstances
 (like lack of transportion).  When they are at a WIC office, WIC
tried to give as much education as the client can handle.
 Also consider:
*  WIC clients are less likely to breastfeed because the  enviroment
they live in contains no women who breastfeed.
*  Many WIC clients are uneducated and cannot comprehend the
instructions on a can of ABM.
*  Many WIC clients do not speak english and guess what language the can
of ABM is written in?  Did you know one ABM's measuring cup is different
from another's?
*  Not helping a mom to bottle feed may mean the ABM will be mixed
incorrectly, the client may not understand the consequences of watering
ABM down to stretch it out, or the client may not know to check if it
needs to be diluted at all. It may mean that you put the baby's life at
risk.

I don't feel that lack of education on how to bottlefeed will drive a
mom to breastfeeding.

We can not automatically transpose our accepted beliefs of what a middle
class US society does on to a different society.  We need to meet each
where they are and help to take them a step further.

Of course, as it was posted before, we can teach bottle feeding in a way
that she can make an informed choice:

* make sure you wipe the top of the cans well because bugs may have been
crawling across them
* It is very important that you measure each part exactly
* you need to keep the ABM cold even when you go out
 ...and so on imposing rules that makes it seem much easier if the
mother choose to breastfeed.

The mixed crowd at a WIC infant feeding class DOES allow for interesting
questions and a chance for those who would never attend a breastfeeding
class to learn that what they thought was true, may not be.  It also
gets them to experience the enthusium of the woman who breastfed before
and wants to sing about it.
I like it when they do the bottle part first then get on to
breastfeeding.  Sort of like the "here's how to bottle feed but,.." and
we all  know they remember what comes after the but best.

Terriann Shell, IBCLC
working with the Delaware WIC program since 1989