+ What is Help Me Grow?

Help Me Grow is the only evidence-based, nationally recognized early childhood system model. The system model is also flexible- in Michigan, Help Me Grow looks different in each county, depending on the demographics, resources, programming, and need. Though Help Me Grow looks different in every county, each affiliate is working toward four cooperative and interdependent components that characterize the Help Me Grow System Model.

A Centralized Access Point assists families and professionals in connecting children to the grid of community resources that help them thrive.

Family & Community Outreach build parent and provider understanding of healthy child development, supportive services available to families in the community, and how both are important to improving children’s outcomes.

When potential concerns are spotted early on, they can be easier to address. Child Health Care Provider Outreach supports early detection and intervention efforts and connects medical providers to the grid of community resources to best support families.

To make sure the resource grid is working effectively, Data Collection & Analysis supports evaluation, helps identify systemic gaps, bolsters advocacy efforts, and guides quality improvement.

It is the cooperation of these four core components that characterizes the Help Me Grow system model.

Developmental screening is also a crucial part of Help Me Grow and is embedded within each of the four components. In Michigan, we use the Ages and Stages Questionnaire as our developmental screening tool.

For a more detailed description of each of these four components, check out the Help Me Grow National site.

+ Why Become An Affiliate?

Help Me Grow offers your county a neutral entity to bring all the silos of early childhood services together. We are not in competition with already existing programs--Help Me Grow’s goal is to connect families to these services that already exist in a community. As an affiliate you will also receive:

• An evidence based, successful framework for bolstering the work you are already doing

• Use of Help Me Grow name and logo to help with marketing and communication

• Access to a robust learning community of local and national affiliates implementing Help Me Grow

  • Quarterly HMG Michigan Affiliate Meetings
  • Support from local affiliates and state office to collaborate and problem solve
  • Shared google drive folder with resources you can modify for your county
  • HMG National’s webinars and annual forum

• Data Reports from Help Me Grow National
• Support for advocacy and funding

Most importantly, you will be serving the families in your community and giving them the personal, focused attention they need and deserve as they try and navigate the complicated landscape of early childhood services.

+ Frequently Asked Questions

What is the process for becoming a Help Me Grow affiliate in Michigan?

Currently, the process is pretty simple and straightforward. Reach out to Courtney Gupta, State Coordinator, and Veronica Pechumer, State Lead, and begin a conversation about how Help Me Grow could work in your county. After gaining support and approval from the stakeholders in your community, fill out our application. We will share the application with all affiliates and get back to you with any concerns or questions. After approval, you become an affiliate and you can begin building your system with the support of the state office and other Michigan affiliates.

What are the different types of organizing entities in Michigan?

The majority of our Help Me Grow affiliates are housed in their county’s Great Start Collaboratives, but we also have affiliates who are housed in the Early Childhood Department of the ISD.

What is the cost of becoming a Help Me Grow affiliate?

Right now there is no cost associated with joining Help Me Grow as the dues are currently paid by the state lead, Oakland County. However, there are the costs of how your community decides to run Help Me Grow. The county is responsible for funding any of your local HMG efforts, which may include: ASQ developmental screenings, marketing costs, outreach, increased care coordination (if it doesn’t already exist in your community), etc. If you are interested in online access to ASQs through Brookes, it is $850 annually, plus the cost of screens and kits.

What are the requirements for joining Help Me Grow Michigan?

We are currently in the process of developing a Strategic Plan for Help Me Grow Michigan that will further define these expectations, but right now the requirements are that you:

• Work towards fidelity in the four components
• Complete the annual Fidelity Assessment from HMG national
• Attend quarterly HMG affiliate meetings
• Respond to correspondence from the state office

How do I know if Help Me Grow is a good fit for our county/region?

Is there one centralized access point for families to easily access the early childhood resources they need?

If not, the families in your region would surely benefit from one, and Help Me Grow can be that system. Help Me Grow makes it easy for families to navigate all the early childhood programs and resources in your community by taking the time to understand the family’s needs and finding the right fit--so that they don’t have to. Existing organizations and service providers also benefit because you can send referrals to them and connect them to one another.

If you do have one central access point, would it benefit from more support and guidance? Would you like to elevate this system by engaging pediatricians and other health care providers? Do you need to close the feedback loop on referrals to make sure families are actually getting the services referred to? Would families benefit from more personalized service and follow up? Then it would be worth considering whether Help Me Grow’s evidence based system would be a good fit.

I want to learn more about Help Me Grow. What are my next steps?

Either fill out our inquiry form or email Veronica Pechumer, State Lead, or Courtney Gupta, State Coordinator, to find out more information.