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Join Us at the Elgin Sing-Along Messiah, December 4, 2025!

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Grab your friends, celebrate the holidays, and raise your voices at the fourth annual Elgin Sing-Along Messiah on Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 7 pm at Second Baptist Church of Elgin, 1280 Summit St, Elgin, Illinois.

Well Child Center is thrilled to have been selected as the Elgin Sing-Along Messiah Charity Partner for 2025. Donations will directly support Well Child Center’s Food for Families pantry; the pantry was established in 2022 in partnership with Food for Greater Elgin (FFGE). The pantry specifically focuses on providing food – provided by FFGE – as well as other essentials that families need such as infant formula, diapers, and hygiene supplies.

This interactive community sing-along will raise awareness and funding for Elgin charities while showcasing the talent of Elgin-area musicians and vocalists, including the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, Midwest Opera Theatre, and members of the Elgin Master Chorale.

No experience is necessary; chorus scores will be available at the door or can be downloaded in advance at www.elginsing-alongmessiah.org. Those who are too shy to sing are also welcome to enjoy the just-over-one-hour performance of selections from Handel’s Messiah.

Tickets are just $5 (plus a $2 handling fee). Children 12 and younger are free. Tickets must be purchased online in advance of the concert. Tickets will not be sold at the concert .

Learn more and reserve tickets at www.elginsing-alongmessiah.org.

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“The selection of Well Child Center as the Elgin Sing-Along Messiah’s charity partner this year is a gift of hope for those we serve. The funds raised will have a direct and meaningful impact on our work to support the most vulnerable families, women, and children in our community in the areas of nutrition and oral health. We are truly touched by the spirit of ‘singing and giving’ that defines this event and are so thankful for the community’s support.”

Michelle Zajac Esquivel, MPH, Executive Director, Well Child Center.

“The holiday season reminds us of the power of compassion, and we are deeply moved by the Elgin Sing-Along Messiah committee’s generosity in selecting our organization. We have long admired this event for its ability to bring people together through song, and we are honored that the spirit of giving it embodies will now also directly benefit families most in need in our community.”

Chelsea Fosse, DMD, MPH, President, Board of Directors, Well Child Center.

Raising Awareness of Urgent Maternal Warning Signs in Kane County

Hear Her®: Know the Signs, Save a Life

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Too many women in the U.S. die from pregnancy-related problems—and most of these deaths don’t have to happen.

Black women are especially at risk. They’re three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than white women.

The good news? Over 80% of these deaths are preventable.

Many people don’t know the urgent warning signs that can indicate serious health complications during and after pregnancy—and if they do, their concerns may be ignored by others, even doctors. That’s why Well Child Center is bringing the Hear Her® campaign to Kane County, with support from the CDC Foundation.

What’s the goal?

We want to make sure everyone—pregnant people, new parents, families, friends, doctors, and community leaders—knows what to look for and when urgent medical care is needed. Because when we listen and act, lives are saved.

What We’re Doing

  • Sharing the warning signs of pregnancy- and postpartum-related emergencies
  • Encouraging and empowering people who are pregnant or who just had a baby to act on the warning signs
  • Providing tools for important conversations about health concerns
  • Teaching healthcare providers how to better care for all patients—especially those at higher risk for pregnancy-related complications

What You Can Do

If you’re pregnant or had a baby in the past year…

  • Learn the urgent warning signs (pdf download)
  • Call your healthcare provider or go to the emergency department right away if you experience any of the urgent signs during pregnancy or in the year after pregnancy
  • Speak up to your healthcare provider about any other concerns—you know your body best
  • Keep asking if you’re not being heard
  • Talk to someone you trust—such as a family member, friend, or faith leader—and ask them to help advocate for you during your next medical appointment

Helpful links

If you’re supporting someone who is pregnant or had a baby in the past year…

  • Learn the urgent warning signs (pdf download)
  • Get help right away if your loved one experiences an urgent warning sign
  • Take their concerns seriously and encourage them to talk to their healthcare provider
  • Offer to go to appointments with their healthcare provider(s) and help them speak up

Helpful links

If you’re a healthcare provider…

  • Listen and follow up on your patients’ concerns
  • Teach your patients the urgent warning signs (pdf download)
  • Encourage your patients and their support people to ask questions
  • Use shared decision-making
  • Make your follow-up plan clear
  • Take steps to reduce implicit bias

Helpful links

Interested in engaging in a deeper conversation about this or finding a speaker to share information on this topic in your clinic or hospital? Contact Well Child Center  

If you’re part of a church, community group, or local organization…

  • Teach others the urgent warning signs (pdf download)
  • Urge pregnant and postpartum people to get medical care immediately if they experience any of the urgent warning signs during or in the year after pregnancy
  • Encourage pregnant and postpartum people to share their concerns with their healthcare provider
  • Provide a safe space to talk about their health concerns

Helpful links

Interested in engaging in a deeper conversation about this or finding a speaker to share information on this topic for your group? Contact Well Child Center  

Brighter Smiles, Brighter Community Initiative

Well Child Center is excited to share information about its Brighter Smiles, Brighter Community initiative! Through this initiative, Well Child Center is teaming up with School District U-46 and local partners to boost children’s oral health in Elgin and surrounding areas.

Good oral health is key to children’s overall well-being, school attendance, and academic success. But for many families, getting the dental care they need isn’t easy. With support from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, Well Child Center has partnered with School District U-46 and other state and local organizations to break down barriers and help children in our community keep their smiles shining bright!

Here’s what we’re doing…

Together, we’re creating a healthier, stronger Elgin—one smile at a time!

Fatherhood and Male Family Member Engagement Initiative

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This year, Well Child Center introduced a new Fatherhood and Male Family Member Engagement Initiative. Well Child Center’s mission includes proactively and inclusively involving fathers, male family members, and male caregivers in all aspects of our programs, services, and operations. Our commitment is to ensure that they are valued as vital partners in their child’s growth and well-being.

Hey dads! Explore the resources below, thoughtfully tailored for dads and male caregivers, like you!

Dad Resource List (downloadable pdf)

Dad Resource List – Printer-Friendly (downloadable pdf)

Dental Care for School Age Children—It’s More than Just Brushing

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Did you know?

Dental problems can lead to children missing partial lessons or entire days of school. Recent studies have found that 30% of children ages 6-12 missed school due to dental problems. This refers to treatment that is past preventive care and does not include regular bi-annual dental appointments.

Recent data also indicate that children in the United States missed over 9,000,000 school days due to dental issues—that is an alarming number!

A recent study showed the following:

  • Overall, 16.3 million children in the United States lack dental insurance; this is 2.6 times the number of children who did not have medical insurance.
  • Children uninsured for dental care were less than half as likely to have received preventive dental care.
  • Race/ethnicity is an important modifier in the relationship between insurance coverage and preventive dental care. African American children, regardless of dental insurance type, were significantly less likely than white children to have received preventive dental care.

Stay ahead of their health and call us for an appointment at 847-930-6721. We offer same day, walk-in appointments and accept all public dental insurance. We also have a sliding scale fee schedule for anyone who does not have dental insurance. 

Prefer to schedule an appointment online? Complete the contact form at https://www.wellchildcenter.org/schedule-an-appointment/. 

 Don’t you want to bring your child to our awesome dental clinic?

Food and Supplies Donations!

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Starting in January, Well Child Center’s pantry—Food for Families—has been coordinating food / supply donation activities! Each month a local organization, agency or company will coordinate a donation “drive.” Our calendar is full for almost all of 2023! Check back here for monthly highlights.

Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin is one of the sponsors of Well Child Center’s Food for Families. In addition, Advocate Sherman Hospital coordinated a MASSIVE donation drive throughout the month of February at the hospital on Randall Road in Elgin. Thousands of pounds of food and other donations were collected—so much that we had to make weekly trips to the hospital to pick up the donations. Thank you, Advocate Sherman employees and providers. You have extended your “help” to children and families in our community in the most generous of ways! Muchas gracias to Well Child Center board member, Fran Teti-Teal, for coordinating this.

St Paul’s United Church of Christ in Elgin is the March donation sponsor for Food for Families. Throughout the Lenten season, members of St Paul’s United Church of Christ will be donating food and other non-perishable items for the pantry. Well Child Center is both humbled and honored to be considered a partner with this church. Their passion and compassion for helping others is amazing.

Interested in coordinating a food donation drive for the Well Child Center pantry? Contact Michelle Esquivel at mesquivel@wellchildcenter.org.