Help Me Grow (HMG) is the nation’s only evidence-informed, replicated system model designed to connect and strengthen the many sectors that serve young children. 

Help Me Grow is not a program. HMG is a System Model that states and communities replicate to build the infrastructure that ensures developmental promotion for all children, early identification of concerns, and seamless referral, linkage, and connection to the supports families want and need. 

By aligning partners across sectors and strengthening how systems work together, Help Me Grow helps communities ensure families can access support earlier and more easily.

The goal of Help Me Grow is simple but powerful: 

All families with young children have timely and equitable access to the resources and services they want and need to support their children’s development, health, and well-being. 

Achieving this goal requires more than strong programs. It requires systems that are coordinated, accessible, and designed to support families effectively.

Think of the network of services for young children as a power grid. 

Across communities, many programs and services are working hard to support families. But without coordination, the system can feel fragmented and difficult to navigate. 

Help Me Grow helps ensure that this network functions as a connected system—so families can plug in and access the support they need, when they need it. 

By aligning partners around shared goals and coordinated pathways, communities can strengthen existing resources, reduce fragmentation, and ensure children receive the right support at the right time.

Data fuels improvement across the Help Me Grow system. Information gathered from each core component helps local affiliates measure progress, identify gaps, and strengthen partnerships.

Shared metrics across the National Network allow us to tell a collective story about the impact of Help Me Grow, while locally tailored data guides day-to-day decisions and quality improvement projects.

These activities form the operational backbone of Help Me Grow systems and ensure families can access the supports they need. 

Coordinated Access 

A centralized access point—often a call center, help line, or digital platform—where families and professionals can turn for guidance, developmental screening, referrals, and follow-up. 

This coordinated entry point helps ensure families receive personalized support navigating available services and resources. 

Child Health Care Provider Outreach 

Strong partnerships with pediatric and primary care providers help promote healthy development, identify concerns early, and connect families to community-based supports. 

Through these partnerships, health care providers have trusted referral pathways and families receive support beyond the clinical setting. 

Family and Community Outreach 

Intentional engagement with families, caregivers, and community organizations increases awareness of child development and available supports. 

These efforts strengthen trusted relationships across the community and ensure families know where to turn when they have questions or concerns. 

Data Collection & Analysis 

Data infrastructure tracks Help Me Grow activity and outcomes—including referrals, connections, and family experiences—to understand how the Help Me Grow system is performing. 

These insights help communities strengthen implementation of the Model and ensure families are successfully connected to the supports they want and need. 

To ensure the essential activities of the Model function effectively and sustainably, Help Me Grow systems operate with three foundational Structural Requirements. These elements provide the governance, coordination, scale, continuous improvement, and sustainability needed for early childhood systems to function effectively and grow over time. 

Organizing Entity 

Each HMG system is supported by a designated organizing entity responsible for coordinating partners, aligning efforts across sectors, and guiding implementation of the Model. 

The organizing entity helps ensure the system operates under shared, cross-sector leadership, clear accountability, and strong collaboration across health care, early childhood, family support, and community partners. 

Continuous System Improvement 

HMG systems use data to understand how the early childhood system is functioning, identify gaps or inequities in access, and guide continuous system improvement over time. 

Partners regularly review data and work together to strengthen referral pathways, improve coordination, and ensure families are successfully connected to the supports they need. 

Spread & Scale 

HMG systems are designed to expand over time so more communities and families can benefit from coordinated early childhood support. 

Through intentional planning and shared learning, communities can spread the Model to new regions, strengthen implementation where it already exists, and deepen integration across sectors—while maintaining fidelity to the Model. 

When the Help Me Grow Model is implemented with fidelity, communities build stronger early childhood systems where:

Families can find support more easily and access services earlier

• Providers have reliable referral pathways and stronger cross-sector partnerships
• Services and supports are coordinated across health care, early learning, and family support systems 
• Leaders and partners use shared data to guide continuous system improvement 
• Communities expand coordinated systems of support so more families can benefit over time 
• Public investments generate stronger outcomes for children, families, and communities 

Through this coordinated approach, communities can ensure that families with young children have easier access to the resources and supports they need to help their children thrive.