Help Me Grow: Connecticut

Help Me Grow is a program for children birth through five years of age who are at-risk for developmental or behavioral problems. Family members, health care providers and other community providers can call an information line to speak with a care coordinator regarding a child’s development or behavior concerns. The care coordinators then work with each family to find the best community services available to meet their needs.

The program components include: (1) developmental screening training for pediatricians and other health care providers, (2) a toll free information hotline that offers parents and providers the opportunity to enroll children in a Ages and Stages development monitoring program, (3) care coordinators who provide community referrals, and (4) child development liaisons who facilitate community networking and partnerships among community agencies.

The program is funded through the Connecticut Children’s Trust Fund.

The program’s goal is to identify children at risk for developmental or behavioral problems and to connect them to existing community resources.

During the 2007-2008 program year, Help Me Grow received 2,522 calls from individuals concerned about a child’s development or behavior. In the same year, child development liaisons provided training for 30 pediatric offices and 1,203 families entered the Ages and Stages development monitoring program. The number of referrals to service programs increased 26% from the previous year. Families who were successfully connected to a service had 80% of their needs addressed.