Help Me Grow National Center

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recently released a draft of a report, Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children. On the basis of a systematic review of published studies on screening, the USPSTF found insufficient evidence...

In June, I was invited to participate in a WK Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) Think Tank entitled, “Realizing Our Vision: Healthy Birth Outcomes.” Patrick Simpson, who was recently appointed as director of programming for WKKF’s Food, Health & Well-being portfolio, convened...

We have learned many lessons as we’ve advocated for Help Me Grow replication across the country. Chief among them is this:  The mission of Help Me Grow does not fall exclusively within either the liberal or conservative mainstream. Political beliefs...

I am privileged to serve as faculty for the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s (MCHB) Home Visiting Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (HV CoIIN). The Network offers participating home visiting program grantees the chance to learn about three topic areas:...

Susan Hibbard, executive director of the BUILD Initiative, recently invited me to participate in a session on Health Equity at the October annual conference of Grantmakers for Children, Youth, and Families (GCYF) in Detroit.    Maxine Hayes, a pediatrician and...

The danger of asking the wrong questions and adopting the wrong outcome measures is an important consideration in our efforts to evaluate the efficacy of Help Me Grow. Our crucial task is to assure that we ask the right questions...

Throughout our work to support affiliates in their Help Me Grow replication efforts, no issue has been more prominent or challenging than long-term sustainability. One of the more secure forms of Help Me Grow sustainability has been inclusion in state...

 A New Avenue for Collaboration in Early Childhood System Building This past year, the College of Education of Niagara University in Western New York became the first higher education institution to serve as a Help Me Grow organizing entity. Though...

Family Engagement Is More than Just Engaging Families Two recent articles from the Business Day section of the New York Times attracted my attention. The first… The first, “The Baby Food Battle,” described the efforts of the baby food industry...

During a 2013 Help Me Grow National site visit to Minnesota, one of our newest affiliate states, I gave a presentation to a large audience in St. Paul. Following my talk, I invited questions and comments from the audience.   Saciido...