By Gabby Hamel

After a year of dedicated exploration, the Help Me Grow (HMG) National Center’s Goal Concordant Care (GCC) Study has provided the National Affiliate Network with valuable insights into the benefits of integrating goal-centered care into the HMG Model. The study examined the impact of aligning early childhood support systems with families’ unique goals, shifting from a traditional “needs-based” approach to prioritizing understanding and empowering families in their children’s development.

The Study explored how to integrate goal concordant care within the four Core Components of the HMG Model:

• Centralized Access Point: This branch implemented motivational interviewing techniques, guided by the University at Buffalo Motivational Interviewing Center, to effectively elicit and document parents’ goals.
• Family & Community Outreach: This branch partnered with Be Strong Families to utilize their Parent Café model, empowering caregivers to identify and pursue their own goals.
• Child Health Care Provider Outreach: This branch collaborated with Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE), a program of Tufts Medical Center, to implement an asset-based care framework and ensure a seamless “loop closure” on referrals related to parent goals.
• Data Collection & Analysis: This branch engaged the Center for the Study of Social Policy to provide initial training and technical assistance on the Protective Factors Framework, guiding data collection and analysis efforts.

View the Goal Concordant Care Study Findings Report

Connecting Parents & Strengthening Families

Raising a family is a journey filled with both joy and challenges. Sometimes, parents need a supportive space to connect, share experiences, and find resources. That’s where Parent Cafés come in!

The Family & Community Outreach (FCO) branch of the Study partnered with Be Strong Families (BSF) to implement their Parent Café model and support caregivers in identifying and pursuing their goals.

BSF defines Parent Cafés as “physically and emotionally safe spaces where people talk and listen to each other on topics that matter to them, such as the challenges and victories of raising a family, navigating landscapes of inequality, enhancing well-being, or being involved in the recovery process of someone they love.”

Imagine a comfortable, welcoming environment where parents can talk openly about what matters most – Parent Cafés are all about learning from each other and strengthening protective factors to build stronger families.

• Safe and Supportive: Parent Cafés are designed to be a judgment-free space where parents feel comfortable sharing their stories.
• Parent-Led Learning: Parent Cafés foster connection and parent-to-parent learning.
• Strengthening Families: Parent Cafés help build “protective factors” – characteristics that promote positive outcomes for young children and their families and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect.

How Did HMG Systems Implement Parent Cafés?

From October to December 2022, participating HMG staff and community partners engaged in a series of four professional development trainings led by BSF. These sessions focused on key topics like protective factors, effective communication strategies, and building strong relationships to facilitate helpful referrals. These skills are crucial for Parent Café hosts, who create a welcoming and supportive environment. Following these initial trainings, participants completed specialized Parent Café training, both virtually and in-person, to prepare them to host Parent Cafés in various formats.

After this training series, the leads from each HMG system participated in three co-design sessions to incorporate parent goals into the Café. They agreed upon the following approach: during a typical Parent Café, parents are prompted to identify a commitment to themselves that they will pursue after the event. HMG Café facilitators enhanced this by first prompting participants to identify a goal for themselves, their child, or their family, inspired by the Café’s theme. Participants were then supported in identifying a commitment to that goal. Families were also informed about HMG’s services and encouraged to connect with HMG.

HMG systems participated in monthly technical assistance sessions from BSF, alternating between individual system and whole-branch formats. HMG leads also met monthly with HMG National staff to address administration and leadership of the Study.

HMG Northwest Florida was one of three participating HMG systems in this branch. HMG National spoke with them to gain insights into their implementation of GCC within their FCO efforts, the challenges they encountered, and the impact this work had on their system’s approach to family-centered care.

National Center: What kinds of enhancements did you make to your HMG operations during the Learning Community, and how did you support team members?

HMG Northwest Florida: HMG Care Coordinators and outreach staff were instructed to use words like “goal” or “dreams” instead of “needs.” This goal-oriented language helped spread a strengths-based approach throughout the organization. Instructing staff and programming to remain goal-focused provided a concrete action step toward spreading a goal-concordant culture. Using a well-known and proven curriculum allowed for continuity of education and communication.

Parent Cafés were added into our HMG implementation as an extension of our Family & Community Outreach initiatives. We were most successful with faith-based communities. While attendance was good, we struggled to measure the impact of the family experiences. We created a post-café survey with 10 experience-based questions, aiming to quantify the Parent Café’s passive programming. While the data showed consistent positive experiences, the community responded best when we added participants’ comments.

We offered various support to parent leads and participants. Gift cards and stipends were provided to parent leads and childcare staff. We also offered childcare at all but the dads’ cafés, as there was never a need indicated on the registrations. Parent Hosts received additional education on creating a safe space, navigating conversations, and understanding protective factors. A resource table with children’s items and community resources was provided at each café along with meals, lengthening the programming by 30 minutes.

We used venues that offer free space, and in turn, offered in-kind goods. We provided Parent Café flyers to partnering agencies one week prior to public sharing, giving them priority access to the 25 slots. HMG staff collaborated with service providers to identify ways HMG services can fill gaps or help with their goals.

Internally, we aimed to train as many people as possible to foster sustainability and capacity. Our outreach department, HMG, CCR&R, and other programs hosted when Parent Hosts were unavailable. We considered staff and participant locations and schedules based on feedback.

National Center: What were the benefits of integrating these enhancements?

HMG Northwest Florida: Parent Cafés are safe and inviting spaces where parents naturally form connections that continue outside of the Cafés. These connections have supported growth in all protective factors, especially relationships and concrete support.

Parent Cafés expanded our reach to more families. We’ve seen grandparents, siblings, romantic partners, and neighbors connect. Shared experiences create a community. For two hours, other intersections don’t matter. You come as a parent and are recognized as the expert on your child(ren)’s development. Cafés empower and recharge parents, with ripple effects throughout families and communities.

Qualitative data, especially the One Word Closing and Aha Moments, have provided us with parent testimonials for HMG advocacy. Parent Cafés partner well with local initiatives like Kaleidoscope Play and Learn (KPL) groups. By targeting the same zip codes, we have a greater impact. Families are connected to other supports within the organization and informally through relationships built during cafés.

Continuity of empowerment is provided through cafés, serving as a check-in or “step-down” to services. Information is shared through peer-to-peer conversation and the resource table.

“Caregivers” is a broad term, allowing us to align with most social welfare programs. Once the benefits of partnering with HMG are shared, providers are more receptive to supporting our initiatives.

National Center: What challenges did HMG Northwest Florida face integrating the enhancement into their HMG work?

HMG Northwest Florida: We’ve struggled with consistent scheduling. While caregivers provide great feedback, they don’t express availability or wish to meet weekly or monthly. We chose to host Cafés only, aiming for a self-sufficient monthly group by 2026. Obtaining unrestricted funds for food, stipends, and gift cards can also be difficult. Luckily, we have dedicated outreach staff.

Goals and strengths-based language can be foreign. Some argue it silver-lines vulnerability. Our Care Coordinators translate to deficit-driven language for other providers.

Transportation is a recurring issue.

National Center: What approaches/strategies have been sustained to date?

HMG Northwest Florida: We’ve committed to hosting at least one Café per quarter. Our outreach team advocates for Parent Cafés. During grant discussions, they expand our potential funders. We’ve allocated funds for at least 8 Cafés before July 2026.

Care Coordinators use strengths-based language and advocate for family goals. HMG staff are educated in motivational interviewing.

Parent Café hosts and childcare providers receive stipends or gift cards. Participants receive meals, childcare, and resources.

Conclusion

The experiences of HMG Northwest Florida powerfully illustrate the transformative potential of goal concordant care within the HMG Model. By embracing a strengths-based approach and prioritizing family goals through Parent Cafés, they’ve successfully fostered deeper connections, expanded their reach, and created lasting community impact. The success of this integration underscores the value of providing safe, supportive spaces where parents can connect, learn, and empower one another.

The lessons learned throughout this Study will guide the HMG National Center and the National Affiliate Network as we continue to refine and advance our approach to family-centered care. The Goal Concordant Care Study has laid a strong foundation for the continuation of this important work, which will continue to shape and improve early childhood services nationwide.

Read the Executive Summary
Read the Full Goal Concordant Care Final Report
(Available to HMG affiliates only – contact your state/system lead for login access)

Learn More about the Goal Concordant Care Learning Community

Want to learn more about the integration of GCC into the HMG Model?
Check out more from this series:

• Helping Families Thrive: The Help Me Grow Goal Concordant Care Study Through the Lens of the Centralized Access Point
• Documenting Family Goals: Help Me Grow Alaska Takes the “Strengthening Families” Approach to Goal Concordant Care
• Partnering with Providers: HMG Butte’s Approach to Goal Concordant Care Through Child Health Care Provider Outreach