Saint Anthony Hospital received a grant from the March of Dimes Illinois Chapter that will allow the hospital to offer a 12-hour series of free prenatal classes in both English and Spanish for pregnant women. The classes are based on the March of Dimes’ Becoming a Mom/Comenzando Bien prenatal education curriculum.

In response to increasing demand for services that promote health and provide support during pregnancy and early childhood development, Saint Anthony Hospital Community Wellness outreach program launched CIELO in 1993. CIELO offered free pregnancy tests, referrals for prenatal care, prenatal educational classes and assisted with completing applications for state and federal benefits for pregnant women. In 2001, Saint Anthony prenatal classes adopted the March of Dimes’ Becoming a Mom/Comenzando Bien curriculum to complement the medical care women received during pregnancy. In 2011, we aligned our hospital and community-based curricula, ensuring a consistent and unified approach to prenatal education using the March of Dimes curriculum and increasing the availability of parental classes in the community.

On November 2, 2013, Saint Anthony Hospital began a 12-hour series of five prenatal classes. After attending the classes, expectant mothers will be able to make more informed decisions about caring for themselves and their children; they will also be able to develop a support group with other mothers