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Well Child Center

Growing Health Families

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Well Child Center Announces New Executive Director

WELL CHILD CENTER OF ELGIN NAMES MICHELLE ESQUIVEL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND SAYS FAREWELL TO TRISHA ROTH AFTER 34 YEARS

ELGIN, IL (August 17, 2021) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Board of Directors for the Well Child Center of Elgin announced Michelle Zajac Esquivel has been named Executive Director for this nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through education, counseling, and services in the areas of childhood nutrition and pediatric dental health.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the Well Child Center. The Center is a critical resource for our community, and I look forward to building on that momentum and being a part of the effort to make a positive difference for families and children,” Esquivel stated.

The Board also announced the retirement of Trisha Roth, after providing 34 years of expert leadership for the Well Child Center. “Trish brought the organization through periods of rapid growth with an increasing need for services in the community. All of us at the Well Child Center are saying a fond farewell to Trish for her decades of service,” Mark Ainley, President, Well Child Center Board of Directors said.

Esquivel, a resident of Elgin, previously was Assistant Project Director for the Illinois Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood home visiting program in the Illinois Department of Human Services. She has also served as Executive Director for Educare-West DuPage, a state-of-the-art early childhood school serving under-resourced children and families. As part of her 35-year career, she served as Director of the Division of Children with Special Needs and Principal Investigator and Director of the National Center on Medical Home Implementation in the American Academy of Pediatrics. “We are excited about the energy and vision for Well Child Center that Michelle brings, as well as her support of our holistic approach to serving children and families. Her background in public health and nonprofit leadership will be incredibly valuable to the organization,” said Ainley.

WIC Updates Program to EBT Card

New to WIC! Well Child Center and IL WIC has transitioned to the EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card. No more paper vouchers! WIC participants will now receive benefits on an eWIC card, which is similar to a debit card.  

After attending a WIC appointment or completing a WIC class, food benefits are added onto the eWIC card. The family’s WIC food benefits will last until the next WIC visit. To complete transactions, participants will need to enter the PIN that they have created. 

There are many ways to find your WIC Food Balance: 

  • Look at your store receipt from your last shopping trip.  
  • Ask a cashier or customer service person at the store to print your WIC Food Balance.  
  • Call the toll-free number on the back of your WIC card, 1-844-4MY-FAMILY or 1-844-469-3264. 

Well Child Center hopes that participants will find the new eWIC card easier to use at grocery stores. We ask that WIC clients please be patient during this transition! 

The Importance of the 2020 Census

In mid-March, everyone will receive an invitation to complete the 2020 Census. You can respond in one of three ways: online, by phone, or by mail. Why should you participate? The 2020 Census counts every person living in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories providing critical data that will directly affect you and your community.

The results of the data determine the numbers of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s also in the Constitution: Article 1, Section 2, mandating that the country conduct a count of its population once every 10 years. Furthermore, billions of dollars in federal funding are distributed depending on Census results and given to resources that are needed most. This includes support for hospitals, childcare, food assistance, schools, first responders, early childhood development programs, etc.

Young children are the most likely group to be undercounted. In 2010, some 1 million children under 5 years old were not accounted for in the national survey. The importance of a fair and accurate Census count is not to be taken lightly. When persons are accounted for correctly, it ensures that the amount of money distributed among our communities is legitimate. Furthermore, local and state governments, businesses, nonprofits and foundations rely heavily on data from the census to allocate funding, define services, and promote economic development.

Historically, underserved populations are the ones mostly likely not to respond. But oftentimes, they’re the ones that need the most help. If you want to have a voice or if you want to make a difference, what better way than to do your part and be counted? The results will impact your community every year for the next decade!

Common Questions:

Does the 2020 Census ask about citizenship status? NO – the 2020 Census does not ask whether you or anyone in your home is a U.S. citizen.

Are non-citizens counted in the Census? YES – everyone counts.

Can my answers be shared with law enforcement or used against me? NO – the law prevents the Census Bureau from sharing your info with law enforcement. Your answers cannot be used to impact your eligibility for government benefits. Your answers are only used to create statistics about our country.

Information regarding this blog and the 2020 Census can found at:

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/working-papers/2014/demo/2014-undercount-children.pdf
https://2020census.gov/en/what-is-2020-census.html

March Food Demo: You’re Invited!

Making healthy choices at mealtime is not always easy, especially on a budget. The objective of a food demonstration is to improve and diversify family feeding practices. Live demonstrations help parents develop cooking skills and confidence to prepare nutritionally balanced meals at home. As nutrition educators, we know that families on a tight budget are less likely to try something new in the kitchen if they are required to spend money on unfamiliar foods and ingredients. Food demos are a great way to introduce new foods at no cost! Participants can see, smell and taste new recipes and discover firsthand that healthy foods can be delicious. Six in 10 adults who attend short, interactive sessions said they were willing to make a healthy change. https://community-nutrition-education.extension.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2018-Illinois-SNAPed-Impacts_spread.pdf It is our responsibility as educators to help our clientele understand what healthy eating is.

At Well Child Center (WCC) we have partnered with Activate Elgin, Advocate Sherman Hospital and U-46 to help our community better understand the importance of a healthy diet.

As part of National Nutrition Month, Well Child Center has partnered with Activate Elgin to promote their campaign: March Into Health. The WIC program’s Food Demonstration: Edible Kitchen on Thursday, March 26th at 5:45 p.m. is open to the public to attend.  A seasonal soup and salad demo will be presented by Linda Rusenovich, RD, LDN and WIC Nutritionist for participants to sample. Adults and children in the community are welcomed to come! Please RSVP to this event with Karen at 847-930-6716 by March 20th to attend.

Since 2016, Well Child Center and Advocate Sherman Hospital have worked collaboratively to offer Childbirth Education Classes. These classes are taught in 4-week sessions by certified instructors every month. Expectant mothers are provided with instruction and support to help navigate pregnancy through the postpartum period. In the final week of class, the instructor provides a cooking demonstration featuring nutrition education specific to mom and baby.

We are overjoyed to partner with U-46’s Parents as Teachers (PAT) program. The PAT program is designed to help parents of children from birth to age 3 to feel more confident in their role as their child’s first teacher. WCC’s WIC program is dedicated to helping parents feed their children properly during critical periods of growth. To help parents feel more confident in the kitchen, we have opened our WIC program’s Food Demonstration: Edible Kitchen to PAT parents in April.

WCC has one primary goal – to create and maintain broad-based community partnerships to help all families and children thrive. This goal remains the core vision of our organization and we will continue to carry out our mission to Growth Healthy Families.

Free Childbirth Education Classes

Well Child Center has partnered with Advocate Sherman Hospital to offer Childbirth Education classes. These classes are taught in 4-week sessions by certified instructors every month. Expectant mothers are provided with instruction and support to help navigate pregnancy through the postpartum period.

The class schedule is as follows:

Tuesdays 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Week 1 – Labor & Delivery, Pre-Eclampsia, Diabetes and Pre-term Labor

Week 2 – Epidurals, Cesarean Section and Post-partum Depression

Week 3 – Breastfeeding: Latching, Positions and Practice

Week 4 – Newborn care: Diapering, Holding, Bathing and Nutrition

Normally you would pay $125 to take similar classes at the hospital, but our programmimg is free to WIC participants. Additionally, an infant car seat will be raffled at the end of each class series!

We are proud of our collaboration with Advocate Sherman Hospital to create an innovative curriculum to motive expecting mothers to breastfeed. The benefits of breastfeeding are abundant! Therefore, we are happy to share our knowledge and support mothers through their breastfeeding journey.

The class outcomes are undeniable for the 565 pregnant women who have attended:

  • 97% of mother attendees initiate breastfeeding at birth
  • 77% of mothers continue to breastfeed at 6 weeks
  • 64% of mothers continue to breastfeed at 12 weeks
  • 35% of mothers continue to breastfeed at 6 months
  • 26% of mothers continue to breastfeed at 12 months

If you or someone you know are interested in attending the Advocate Sherman Hospital and Well Child Center Childbirth Education classes, please call:

Well Child Center at (847) 741-7370 or

Chayo at (630) 391-0001

Helping Families Eat at Home Together During National Family Meals Month™

With an aim to inspire families to eat at home together more often, to foster the best health possible for individuals and families now and into the future, we are proud to celebrate National Family Meals Month™!  During September, we encourage families to share one more meal together per week and we will highlight tips, resources, information, inspiration, and simple, healthy meal solutions to help make that happen.

Did you know that numerous studies underscore the long-term health, academic and societal benefits of consistently eating together as a family?  Home-cooked meals nourish the spirit, brain, and health of all family members.  Not to mention, people who frequently cook at home eat fewer and healthier calories.’ Additionally, regular family meals are linked to the kinds of outcomes that we all want for our children: higher grades and self-esteem, healthier eating habits and less risky behavior.

However, according to a 2013 Harris poll, only 30 percent of American families share dinner every night. Why is this?  Yes, juggling jobs, kids and the demands of a busy, modern life often come at the expense of family mealtime at home. But, this doesn’t need to be the case. You have allies all around you to provide solutions to your mealtime dilemma. We are committed to helping your family eat well to be well together.  Check out easy, budget friendly recipes on https://www.wichealth.org or ask your WIC Nutritionist for ideas at your next appointment. 

So, as the new school year starts, we challenge you to renew your commitment to creating and serving meals at home that nourish your kids and your whole family, because family meals make families stronger. Pledge to Raise Your Mitt to Commit™ to sharing one more family meal at home per week. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for family meal- focused content, including shopping tips and recipes

Share your own family meal experiences, misadventures, and solutions within your social channels.  And, remember, use the hashtag #familymealsmonth to be part of the conversation!  

About Linda Rusenovich

Linda is the mother of four young adults and has worked at the Well Child Center since 2005. She encourages parents to take small steps toward better health for themselves and their children.