We help families help their children grow.
Help Me Grow can answer everyday questions about young children’s development and behavior. When extra help is needed to support development or behavior, we provide families with information and link them to community-based resources and services.
Help Me Grow Ventura County
Help Me Grow is a no-cost service to families of young children birth to age 5 and providers who support young children. With funding and leadership provided by First 5 Ventura County, we are a network of local community partners in child health care, early care and education, early intervention, child welfare, behavioral health, and family support.
The Help Me Grow National Model
Help Me Grow Ventura County is an affiliate of the Help Me Grow National Center and a member of the Help Me Grow California network. Nationally, there are 99 Help Me Grow affiliates in 31 states. In California, 45 out of the 58 counties are planning or implementing a Help Me Grow system.
From Help Me Grow National’s website: Help Me Grow is a system model that leverages and builds on existing resources within communities to develop and enhance a comprehensive approach to early childhood system-building. Successful implementation of the Help Me Grow model requires communities to identify existing resources, think creatively about how to make the most of existing opportunities, and build a coalition to work collaboratively toward a shared agenda.
There are four components of the Help Me Grow system model:
A Centralized Access Point assists families and professionals in connecting children to community resources that help them thrive.
Family & Community Outreach builds 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.
Child Health Care Provider Outreach supports early detection and intervention efforts and connects medical providers to community resources to best support families. When potential concerns are spotted early on, they can be easier to address.
Data Collection & Analysis supports evaluation, helps identify systemic gaps, bolsters advocacy efforts, and guides quality improvement.
