Nearly 30 years of proven results make Help Me Grow a trusted leader in early childhood systems.

The nation’s first Help Me Grow system launched in Hartford, CT, in 1997. Based on the strength of its results and the influential policy efforts of founding director Dr. Paul Dworkin and his team, the Connecticut system expanded statewide in 2002.

Across the country as of 2024, 30 states and the District of Columbia operate more than 140 Help Me Grow systems. As affiliates of the National Network, they receive ongoing technical assistance from the Help Me Grow National Center to implement the Model and spread innovative system enhancements.

In 2025, as a strategic step to scale proven early childhood innovations, the Help Me Grow (HMG) National Center joined the Institute for Child Success (ICS), now serving as the National Center’s sponsor organization —uniting two national leaders to scale what works in early childhood systems nationwide.