RESTORE STATE FUNDING TO A SYSTEM THAT CONNECTS

CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH THE SERVICES THEY NEED

LESS THAN HALF of children with developmental or behavioral
problems are identified before they arrive at school.

Source: www.ct.gov/oec/helpmegrow

WHATS AT STAKE?
Help Me Grow provides Connecticut families
with access to a coordinated, statewide system
of early detection and care coordination for
children at-risk for adverse developmental and
behavioral outcomes.
Help Me Grow can provide a framework for
effective collaboration among government
and community partners aimed at promoting
optimal development for our children.
Help Me Grow, is cost effective. With a
focus on developmental screening and early
intervention, a modest investment ($223,500)
connects children with developmental needs
to services more effectively and ultimately
saves money by minimizing the need for later,
far more expensive interventions.
Prepared by United Way of Connecticut which operates 2-1-1 Child Development Infoline.
Through 2-1-1 Child Development Infoline,
Help Me Grow serves as a safety net for
children not eligible for other services,
such as Birth to Three and Early Childhood
Special Education. Help Me Grow serves
approximately 10,000 families each year.
Help Me Grow empowers parents with tools
such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire
which provides parents with reassurance
and alleviation of developmental concerns,
heightened awareness of developmental
tracking, and strengthens parenting through
increased communication and parent
education. Currently, 6,800 families are
enrolled in the Ages and Stages Child
Monitoring Program.
A SYSTEM THAT WORKS AND VEHICLE FOR MULTIPLE SERVICE DELIVERY STRATEGIES

Since 2002, 85% of children referred to Help Me Grow have

been successfully connected to appropriate programs and WHAT CONNECTICUT
services. A 2012 study conducted by the University of Hartford PARENTS SAY ABOUT
Center for Social Research indicates by linking families to HELP ME GROW
community-based programs and services Help Me Grow
enhances protective factors (knowledge of parenting, child
development and social and emotional guidelines, improved I dont know what I
parental resilience and concrete support in times of need). would have done without
Help Me Grow and that
Help Me Grow connects families to autism evaluations, family to is the understatement of
family supports and other autism resources through the Learn my life.
the Signs, Act Early initiative.
Resources for families
A 2017 joint policy statement released by the Departments are there, but too often
of Education and Health and Human Services encourages people arent aware of
states to adopt a comprehensive early childhood system and them.
cites Help Me Grow as a model system. Currently, 28 states
are affiliates of the Help Me Grow National Center and are My husband and I are
replicating this initiative which began here in Connecticut, with much more confident.
support from the state beginning in 2002. We are not calling the
doctor a hundred times
Communities, such as Norwalk and Manchester, are using a day because we think
Help Me Grows Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) on- something is wrong.
line system to increase the number of children screened and
linked to resources when needs are identified. ASQ data can You know where your
help communities make informed decisions on how to allocate child should be and
resources. where they are in
relation to other kids.
Help Me Grow services and supports are included in a toolkit,
My son was diagnosed
funded through the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems
with Autism. We were
grant, developed for early care and education providers on
able to get help early
developmental promotion, screening, and linkage to services.
and, because of that, Im
A pilot project with the Southeastern Coordinated Access hopeful we can make
Network is utilizing Help Me Grows ASQ monitoring system progress before he starts
to support parents of young children in families experiencing kindergarten.
homelessness by providing access to tools to monitor their
childs development and connect them to supports and
services.

The State Health Improvement Plans Maternal, Infant and

Child Health focus area is using Help Me Grows ASQ data as a
measure for its Developmental Screening objective which is
consistent with the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.

Visit http://advocacy.ctunitedway.org to support Help Me Grow.