Well Child Center

Well Child Center’s Response to COVID-19

March 17, 2020

Well Child Center considers the health, safety and well-being of you and your family – our WIC clients and young dental patients – to be our highest priority.

We want to assure you and our community neighbors that Well Child Center (WCC) is taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in our community. While we are open during regular business hours during this Coronavirus outbreak, we are also screening all clients using a survey recommended by the Kane County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to keep our clients and community safe.

For our WIC families, the following exceptions for in-person appointments may be available during this Coronavirus outbreak:

You and your child(ren) may not be required to meet in-person temporarily to maintain services.
Nutrition Education will be completed via phone or internet. All WIC/Advocate Sherman classes are canceled until May 5^th.
Food Instruments may be provided via curbside pick-up or in extreme cases via US certified mail.

Please call your family’s WIC office for additional information about these temporary exceptions and to ensure your family’s services continue without disruption.

For our Pediatric Dental Clinic patients, we have and always will protect our young patients and dental team from infections and diseases by strict adherence to CDC’s standard precautions. However, at this time we have closed the dental clinic until March 31, as recommended by the Illinois State Dental Society. Please know we will treat dental emergencies during this closure, so please call 847-930-6721 if your child has a dental emergency.

For our breastfeeding clients, this is an important reminder based on CDC guidelines:

Breast milk provides protection against many illnesses. WIC and the CDC recommends that any mother with the flu continue breastfeeding or feeding expressed (pumped) breast milk to your infant while taking precautions to avoid spreading the virus to your infant.
For mothers with flu symptoms and well enough to breastfeed, please wear a mask when near your child (including during feeding), wash your hands before and after contacting your child (including feeding), and clean/disinfect all contaminated surfaces afterwards – as should be done in every case where anyone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 interacts with others, including children.

For moms who are too ill to breastfeed, ideally you should try to express (pump) milk and feed it to your child with a clean bottle, cup and/or spoon.

Here’s how you can help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, including the Coronavirus Flu:

PLEASE CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IF YOU OR YOUR FAMILY HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS:

Fever
Cough (especially a dry cough)
Shortness of Breath (if you have more than a little change in your breathing, please call 911)

If you are sick, to keep from spreading respiratory illness to others, you should:

Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

If you have a life-threatening emergency, please call 911.

For more information please visit:

Well Child Center remains committed to providing high quality services our clients have come to trust for nearly 50 years. We encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have at (847) 741-7370.

*WCC will provide regular updates as new information becomes available.

March Food Demo: You’re Invited!

March 4, 2020

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 26^th 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 20^th 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

January 14, 2020

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

Let Well Child Center Become Your Dental Home

December 18, 2019

Dental caries, also known as dental decay or cavities, is the most common chronic disease among young children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 40% of children have decay by the time they enter kindergarten. And sadly, majority of decay is left untreated! The good news is that cavities are preventable.

The foundation of optimal oral health begins in the first years of life. However, many parents of young children don’t see the importance of seeing the dentist early. All too often parents say, “my child is too young”, “he doesn’t have enough teeth yet”, or “cavities in baby teeth don’t matter, they’ll be lost anyways.” All these statements are not true.

It’s recommended that children begin seeing a dentist at 1 year old, despite having little or no teeth. The first visits are to help your child become accustomed to the dentist’s chair and educate parents on the importance of caring for baby teeth. It is essential to establish a proper oral hygiene routine early to ensure development of strong and healthy teeth. Good habits formed early and performed often will help prevent decay in later years. Therefore, toothbrushing twice per day should be presented as an everyday habit and as part of your child’s daily care.

Unique to Well Child Center (WCC) is our “First Tooth Visit” Program that targets children at their first birthday. During this visit, parents and caregivers are educated on the need for regular dental check-ups – even for primary teeth. WCC dentists conduct a thorough dental exam and parents are given specific instruction on how to care for emerging teeth. A dental care kit containing essential dental care tools are given to children so they may continue an oral hygiene routine at home between dental visits. Lastly, the next dental appointment is scheduled to maintain consistent care and to establish a dental home.

WCC focuses on education and relationship-building to help empower families to prevent disease and manage dental decay. The dental home is the ongoing relationship between the dentist and the patient, inclusive of all aspects of oral health care delivered in a comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated, and family-oriented way.

At WCC all children are welcome despite their parent’s insurance status and financial limitations. Call 847-930-9721 to schedule an appointment or to learn more. We’re always excepting new smiles!

About Melinda Scheibe

Melinda received a B.S. in Nutrition from Illinois State University. Upon graduation, she joined Well Child Center and is actively working as a WIC Nutritionist and Development Associate. Melinda is committed to her career as a Nonprofit professional, empowering families to reach their maximum potential.

No App Can Replace Your Lap

November 12, 2019

Life is always so go-go-go, it can be hard to make time to sit down and read to your child. However, the benefits of reading are undeniable and well worth the time amid hectic routines. Reading every day to young children starting in infancy can facilitate early development. This is because reading to children in the earliest months stimulates the brain allowing a child to build key language, literacy and social skills.

Here are 7 factors to consider when reading to your little one:

1. Reading sets children up to succeed. The more you ready to your child, the more knowledge they will absorb. Diverse books teach children about different topics.

2. Reading develops language skills. Everyday vocabulary is often repetitive. Reading books exposes a child to language on different topics, meaning they hear words and phrases they may not hear otherwise.

3. Reading enhances a child’s concentration. By consistently reading every day, your child will learn to concentrate and sit still for longer periods of time.

4. Reading develops a child’s imagination. When we engage in a book, we imagine the characters and the setting sparking creativity.

5. Reading books helps develop empathy. Children will begin to identify with characters and feel what they are feeling, thus beginning to understand and relate to emotions.

6. Books are free entertainment! With so many negative aspects of screen time, choosing a book that interests your child is a better option.

7. Reading together helps create a bond between parent and child. Spending time together while reading and talking can bring parents closer to children. For parents who work or live a busy lifestyle, reading is a simple way to enjoy each other’s time while relaxing and bonding.

So instead of saying “honey, I don’t have time,” make the effort to sit down and read. There is no app to replace your lap!

About Melinda Scheibe

A Parent’s Guide to Screen Time

October 2, 2019

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s worth fighting with your child over the amount of time he or she spends in front of the TV, computer or another screen, the answer is a resounding YES. Research has shown that kids spend more time using electronic media devices than they do on any other activity – an average of 7 hours a day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Screens are everywhere and as a result, having control over a child’s screen time has become much harder on parents. Although some screen time can be educational, too much of it may have a negative effect on a child’s development and overall well-being. As your child grows, keep in mind that too much or poor-quality screen time has been linked to:

Obesity
Irregular sleep schedules and shorter duration of sleep
Behavioral problems
Loss of social skills
Violence
Less time for play

Monitoring screen time and media content is an absolute necessity. Although limiting screen time will not immediately lead to changes, over time there is a wide range of health and wellness benefits associated with less exposure.

Here are a few tips to help regulate screen time:

Children under the age of 2 should have zero screen time
Reduce screen time to only 2 hours a day
Create a “screen free” zone in the home
Remove screens from a child’s bedroom
Do not leave the TV on as background noise
Be a good role model

Experts also suggest that the quality of the screen content your child is viewing is more important than the platform or amount of time spent. Not all programs, online games and apps are created equal. To ensure quality screen time, consider these tips:

Preview programs, games and apps before allowing your child to play them
Seek out interactive options that include activity vs. sedentary entertainment
Use parental controls to block or filter internet content
Ensure your child is close by during screen time so that you can supervise media activities
Speak with your child regularly about what programs, games and apps he or she is using
When watching programming with your child, discuss what you’re watching and educate him or her about media content/advertising

Reserving more time for person-to-person interaction and offering activities that encourage creativity and socialization will limit screen time and promote a child’s healthy development. Remember: unstructured playtime is more valuable for a young child’s developing brain than an electronic device!