The new year is always a good starting point for change! That’s why at the start of this year, we are excited to welcome and introduce, not only our 1st newsletter, but a name change—from Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) to iGROW!

Many of you know this pro-gram as MIECHV or ‘McV’ for short. We know it as the same quality Home Visiting Program, in partnership with federal, state, and community levels, to enhance and improve lives of families and children here in the Rock-ford community. The new

name is easy to remember, user-friendly, client-friendly, catchy, and fun! It represents positive and personal growth for you, your family, and of course, an Early Start,

Bright Future for our children. You will begin no-ticing the new name popping-up in other MIECHV com-munities across the state. The good news? In our community, the change begins right here, right now, with the start of the NEW YEAR!

Let us know how you like it! Call us at: 815-720-4316

Illinois Health Insurance Enrollment: It’s not too late

If you have not had the oppor-tunity to enroll for health in-surance, there is still time. Get the process started at www.GetCoveredIllinois.gov

Open enrollment for the Mar-ketplace runs through March 31st . Medicaid is open all year. The Insurance Marketplace is designed to help you find health insurance that fits your budget. You will also be able to explore qualified health

plans in the state. Your life and family are unique. In the marketplace, you will find health insurance plans that fit the way you live and learn if you can get a break on costs. In-Person Counselors are

available to assist you and answer your questions.

For a list of local community agencies or assistance, call: 815-720-4247 or go online to www.wchd.org

O U R N A M E H A S C H A N G E D !

January 2014

iGROW Rockford

A local Home Visiting

Collaborative

Volume 1 Issue 1

Purpose of the iGROW

Newsletter:

To keep clients informed

about our community’s

Home Visiting Program.

To increase communication

and awareness with com-

munity agencies, stake-

holders, and the commu-

nity-at-large.

To provide a venue for infor-

mation-sharing between

homes visitors, families,

clients, advocates, and

friends of iGROW.

Inside this issue:

What is iGROW? 2

Meet a Home Visitor 2

Agency Profile Easter Seals

3

Pulling the Plug on Pacifiers

3

Partner Agency Contacts

4

Welcome, Bently!

4

GetCoveredIllinois.gov 1.866.311.1119

Our name has changed from Maternal Infant Early

Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) to iGROW!

iGROW has evidenced-based Home Visiting programs that use trained, profes-sional home visitors to provide direct services to pregnant women or children from birth to age 5. Its goal is to improve health and developmental outcomes for at-risk children through home-based services. The Rockford program is one of several across the state of Illinois designed to address home visiting in five compo-nents of the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems:

Access to health care and medical homes Social emotional development and mental health Early care and education Parenting education Family support

Additionally, clients receive parenting support, developmental screenings and as-sessments for their child. Home visitors often work with parents in guidance and education to build strong families. Four agencies in the Rockford area carry out home visiting services. The agencies are: City of Rockford Head Start, Easter Seals, Metropolitan Chicago– Rockford Region, Rockford Public Schools Early Childhood Program, and LaVoz Latina. Each of these agencies have select criteria from which clients meet to determine eligibility. In most cases, clients must be pregnant, first time teen moms, or parenting with children up to 3 years old. Clients may be re-ferred, may contact our Partner agencies, or come to the Coordinated Intake and Referral service at the Winnebago County Health Dept. 555 N. Court Street.

What is iGROW? (formerly MIECHV)

Meet Home Visitor – Cindy Waffle recognize

their dreams

and goals,

and for my

clients to

work to-

wards achiev-

ing them. I

also want

each parent

to gain an understanding of child

development and effective parent-

ing skills”.

Cindy loves to do craft projects

and spend time with her grand-

children. She has a 9 year old

grandson and 5 year old twin

granddaughters. “They are the joy

of my life” says Cindy!

Meet Cindy Waffle who

has been with Easter

Seals for over 20 years.

Recently, Cindy was nominated

as ‘Employee of the Year’.

Cindy started in the Child Care

Development area and joined

Teen Family Support about 6

years ago. “I have a passion for

working with families. It is a total

blessing to be a part of my client’s

families and being able to watch

their babies develop from infancy

on. It’s a great feeling being able

to share their joys, triumphs, and

successes. You are there to help

them get through their challenges

while providing empathetic listen-

ing and support. My wish for my

clients this year is to be able to

”It’s a great

feeling being able

to share their

joys, triumphs,

and successes!”

Page 2

Cindy Waffle and the Teen Parent

Group giving back to the community

during the holidays!

iGROW currently

has several Home

Visiting Programs

across the state of

Illinois. iGROW

Communities are:

Southside Chicago

Cicero, IL

Elgin, IL

Rockford, IL

Decatur, IL

Danville, IL

iGROW has

evidenced-

based Home

Visiting

programs

Spreading 2013 Holiday Cheer

Easter Seals Metropolitan

Chicago-Rockford Region

(formerly Easter Seals

Children’s Development

Center) has provided

services to children in our

community for over 45

years. In 2006, they merged

with Easter Seals Metro-

politan Chicago, and

continued to provide

quality children and family

services, including services

for children with disabili-

ties. The Teen Family

Support Program offers

services to teens, such as

one-on-one support through

Doulas and Family Support

Workers. Both Doulas and

Family Support workers

discuss issues concerning

pregnancy; promoting a

healthy pregnancy, labor

and delivery, encourag-

ing and supporting breast-

feeding, helping new moms

adjust to becoming a par-

ent, as well as understand-

ing their child’s behavior.

The Teen Family Support

Program staff have been

assisting pregnant and par-

enting teenagers living in

Winnebago County

improve healthy parent-

child relationships and suc-

cessful child development

for nearly 30 years. Easter

Seals Metropolitan Chicago

-Rockford Region also of-

fers the family Therapeutic

Autism School and the

Autism Service Center at

the Uni-

versity of

Illinois

School of

Medicine.

More information can be

obtained by calling

815-965-5069 or on the

web at:

eastersealschicago.org

CHECK IT OUT!

Go to parents.com/playtime

to see a video of fun

activities that get your baby

moving and prime him for

motor milestones.

Partner Agency Profile: Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago—Rockford Region

effective self-soother, and sur-prisingly, won’t harm the teeth until at least age 5. As your child’s second birthday approaches, devise a plan to wean her from the pacifier. Strategies range from cutting the kids off cold

turkey to elaborate send-offs.

Ultimately, the method you choose will depend on your child’s personal-ity. Dina Duy, a Rockford educator and mother of two, suggests making the move when your child switches to a “big-kid” bed. Simply declare that pacifiers are off limits in a “big-kid”

bed. Voila! You are home free...if

your child goes for it.

Kristina Stone of Rockford recom-mends a more gradual weaning off of the pacifier. When her daughter, Grace turned 1 she enforced a new rule that the pacifier must be left in the crib when she get out. Grace’s pacifier –dependence quickly dissi-

pated shortly after.

Staci Hubley of Rockford created an exciting memory to aid her daughter, Averey in relinquishing the coveted security piece. Together, they left a plate of cookies for the “Paci Fairy,” who swept into the house unnoticed in the middle of the night to collect every last “meep meep” for quick delivery to babies in need. Rockford grandmother Gale Piveretto offers a similar option: sit down with your child and stuff every pacifier into an envelope and ship them off to some-place special— perhaps the hospital so new babies will be sure to receive

one. Rockfordparent.com

Your baby is crying. He’s been fed and changed, so you reached for the pacifier. When you are a parent with an infant, a pacifier can be your best friend. When you are a parent with a toddler a pacifier can be your

worst enemy.

“It may be tempting to offer your child a pacifier when it is easy for you,” the American Academy of Pediatrics says, “but it is best to let your child

decide whether, and when, to use it.”

Dr. Errol Baptist, a Rockford pediatri-cian, suggests, “pacifier use until the age of 2 especially because pacifiers have been linked to a decreased incidence of sudden infant death syndrome. “If used in later years,” he cautions, “pacifiers may cause mala-

lignment of the teeth.”

Conversely, thumb--sucking is an

“If used in later years,

pacifiers may cause misalignment of

the teeth”

Page 3

Mission

Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago

maximizes independence and creates

opportunities for people with

disabilities and other special needs to

live, learn, work and play in their

communities by providing a lifespan

of premier services.

Messy Monday @ Discovery

Center Museum.

Age 2+ 1/20/14 –Theme focus

Art Projects

discoverycentermuseum.org

Find fun things to

learn and do for

Parents and Kids!

Happy New

Year from

iGrow

Rockford!

When to Pull the Plug

On Pacifiers By Angela Malavolti

Explore pbs.org and

pbskids.org. Find educa-

tional games, recipes, vid-

eos, apps, fun stuff, and

more!

…..from MIECHV to iGrow Page 4

Winnebago County Health Department

401 Division Street

555 No.rth Court Street

Rockford, IL 61103

Phone: 815-720-4000

This program was made possible by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 which authorizes the crea-

tion of the Maternal Infant Early Childhood Education Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. Winnebago County Health

Department serves as the lead agency. The program is carried out in conjunction with four Rockford home visiting

partnering agencies (listed below), in addition to the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development, IL Depart-

ment of Human Services, and the State of Illinois.

Winnebago County Health Department

555 North Court Street

Rockford, IL 61103

Phone: 815-720-4000

If you would like more information about

iGROW or would like to be referred, please

contact Coordinated Intake at: 815-720-4000

or dritcher@wchd.org.

Rockford Home Visiting—Partner Agency Contacts:

Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago– Rockford Region

815--965-5069 x 233

Early Head Start Program

815-987-5480

Early Childhood Program

815-967-8030

iGROW client Whitney sh

ares a bonding moment

with her bundle of

joy! Whitney’s son B e n t l y

made his debut in

July of last year.

815-965-5784

Whitney, Bently and family.

Congratulations,Whitney and family on

your beautiful baby boy!

Look The iGROW family is growing!!!!

Newsletter Editors:

C.Boyd, WCHD –CSD

D.Ricther, WCHD –CI

Contributors to this edition:

K.Kurtz, Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago– Rockford Region

Staff of Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago– Rockford Region

RockfordParent.com Magazine (with permission)

Let us know if you have information you would like featured in iGrow. Send us your photos, stories, comments, or feedback. The iGrow Newsletter will be published quarterly.

Want to be on our mailing list for future

editions of iGrow newsletters?

Email: dritcher@wchd.org