Plan for the Future to Have a Future

This 5-minute video depicts a theory of change from Frontiers of Innovation for achieving breakthrough outcomes for vulnerable children and families. It describes the need to focus on building the capabilities of caregivers and strengthening the communities that together form the environment of relationships essential to children’s lifelong learning, health, and behavior.

18 Oct · Lauren Till · No Comments

HMG National: Importance of Research

For those of you out there who are interested in the research behind Help Me Grow’s model, you should definitely read HMG Founder Dr. Dworkin’s latest blog post. He describes the importance not just of collecting data, but analyzing and presenting it in a way that is useful for discussion about policy formation and implementation. Visit …

2 Oct · Lauren Till · No Comments

Social Needs are as Important as Medical

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation published a report that supports the idea behind last week’s post. We discussed that poor health outcomes are often not solely rooted in poor health inputs, but that there are frequently social influences which heavily impact wellness. In “Health Care’s Blind Side” it becomes clear that physicians frequently encounter health …

25 Sep · Lauren Till · No Comments

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Early childhood obesity has been and continues to be an important issue (see our recent posts). We’ve received feedback that while improving nutrition and activity in children and adults is part of the solution, it may not be all there is to it. No one would argue that it’s easy to change a person’s lifestyle, …

26 Aug · Lauren Till · No Comments

AL Baby Facts

Zero to Three recently released National and State Baby Facts to “provide information for early childhood professionals and policymakers about the status of infants, toddlers, and families in their state.” In Alabama’s factsheet we learn: more than half (52%) of children ages zero to three in Alabama live in low-income families 27% of children who …

6 Aug · Lauren Till · No Comments

Improvement in Childhood Obesity – Alabama Unchanged

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “obesity rates among preschoolers are improving, but there is more work to be done to continue this downward trend. Among low-income preschoolers (ages 2-4 years) from 2008-2011:– Obesity rates decreased slightly in 19 of 43 states and territories (including Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida).– Obesity rates increased …

31 Jul · Lauren Till · No Comments

Care Coordination for ALL Children

As we know, the earliest identification of developmental delays and concerns can lead to improved outcomes for children. The longer a delay goes unnoticed or untreated, the more deeply embedded it becomes in a child’s makeup. This is true for ALL children. Unfortunately, this CNN article highlights a disturbing trend: Minority children with autism lack …

24 Jun · Lauren Till · No Comments

Autism News

We’ve gathered some autism spectrum disorder news and opportunities to learn more: – This story comes from Thrive by Five in Washington: A breakthrough in autism research holds both the potential for earlier diagnosis of the disorder (a core component of Help Me Grow) and a better understanding of the important role social interactions play …