Parents of Young Children Tell What They Think, Know, and Need

A child’s experiences in the first three years of life shape a child forever. Help Me Grow cares about babies and toddlers, therefore we care about, listen to, and meet the needs of parents too. ZERO TO THREE, with support from the Bezos Family Foundation, undertook a comprehensive research effort to go directly to parents of …

22 Jun · Lauren Till · No Comments

Alabama: 46th in Nation for Child Well-being

Mike Cason from AL.com reports, “Alabama’s national ranking on well-being of children fell to 46th in the latest annual report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It was the second straight year for Alabama to drop in the Kids Count Data Book, which lists 16 indicators of child well-being in four areas: economic, educational, health …

16 Jun · Lauren Till · No Comments

Starting Ahead is Better than Catching Up

Checkout the newest video from the Heckman Equation. More information is available at heckmanequation.org.

13 Jan · Lauren Till · No Comments

AL Baby Facts

Have you ever wondered how Alabama’s early learning compares to other states? Here is ZERO TO THREE’s Alabama Baby Facts for children ages 0 – 5 years old. Alabama is below the nationwide average for parents or family who read to their child each day, but above the nationwide average for parents or family members who sing …

21 Oct · Lauren Till · No Comments

What Is Epigenetics?

Photo Credit According to KidsHealth.org, epigenetics is the idea that environmental factors (such as diet, lifestyle choices and behaviors, and stress) can change the health not only of the people who are exposed to them, but also the health of their descendants. Help Me Grow connects children and families to the services they need to …

2 Sep · Lauren Till · No Comments

Are We Asking the Proper Question?

Dr. Dworkin of the Help Me Grow National Network has written a blog post discussing the recent US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) draft of a report, Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children. The draft report states that it cannot presently make a recommendation either in favor of or against autism spectrum disorder …

10 Jun · Lauren Till · No Comments

Little Kids, Big Questions

Photo Credit The National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families has developed a series of 12 podcasts titled Little Kids, Big Questions that addresses common and often challenging issues parents face when caring for their infant or toddler including picky eating, sleeping through the night, and problem behaviors. The series also highlights an infant’s amazing …

23 Dec · Lauren Till · No Comments

Tips on Toys

The holidays are a great time to play with your child, no matter how young they are! If you’re still looking for some last-minute gift ideas, NAEYC shares a few insights with us on what makes a good toy for a young child. You might be surprised to learn that “basic is better” when it allows …