HMG & Cultural Competence

Help Me Grow is a system designed to connect children and families to the services they need. These services should be appropriate to a child’s development and the family’s culture. Dr. Paul Dworkin, founder of Help Me Grow, visited Help Me Grow Minnesota and was asked, “How do we ensure that the resources offered by …

16 Jun · Lauren Till · No Comments

2-1-1 Strengthens Alabama’s Families and Communities

2-1-1 Connects Alabama is network of call centers whose mission is to provide easy access to health and human services available throughout Alabama. The first call center was established in Montgomery in 2002 and the network has grown to provide services to all Alabama residents. By making services easier to find, the 2-1-1 network strives …

2 Jun · Lauren Till · No Comments

The Key to Future Success: Early Identification of Children with Special Needs

The vision statement of the Alabama State Board of Education Plan 2020 is “Every Child a Graduate – Every Graduate Prepared for College/Work/Adulthood in the 21st Century.” In order to have every graduate prepared, early identification and intervention for children with special needs is very important. It is a priority of all Alabama school systems …

12 May · Lauren Till · No Comments

Home Visiting – Might Not Be What You Think

The Charlotte-Douglas airport in North Carolina is relatively small. It has a moving sidewalk, but no trains – and you walk everywhere. There’s a lady who cleans the restrooms – and she is the reason I love that airport. The first time I arrived there, I stopped by the restroom and she said, “HEY! Come …

15 Apr · Lauren Till · No Comments

Family Outreach – Books, Balls, and Blocks

Last month we featured Robin Mackey and her work with Strengthening Families. Today she shares her experiences with us in light of a recent Books, Balls, and Blocks event… As a social worker I have worked with families in a variety of settings. I have found my recent work, focused on early childhood, to be …

27 Feb · Lauren Till · No Comments

Help Me Grow in Central Alabama

Courtney Nix is the Program Manager for Help Me Grow Central Alabama (HMG-CA) and he works directly with each family connected to Help Me Grow. The Central Alabama site reaches five counties through United Way of Central Alabama: Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Walker. Courtney’s been working hard to serve these communities. Read on …

23 Jan · Lauren Till · No Comments

Families and Services: New Research

One of the major goals of Help Me Grow is to provide support and connections for young children when developmental concerns are identified. Alabama’s Early Intervention System (AEIS) provides services to children birth to three who are eligible. Alabama has one of the broadest eligibility definitions in the country – serving children with a 25% delay …

10 Dec · Lauren Till · No Comments

HMG at EI Conference

Beth Johns and Gail Piggott presented at the 28th Annual Alabama Early Intervention Conference in Mobile, Alabama on December 4th to a crowd of 50-60 attendees. The attendees were educated on the Help Me Grow model, its components, current implementation, strategies for engagement for attendees and other partnerships, and materials from Help Me Grow, United Way …