Are you the parent of a child under the age of eight? Do you sometimes question your child’s behavior or developmental skills? Or maybe you’ve compared your child’s behavior to a sister or brother or schoolmate and wondered if they are acting age appropriate? Help Me Grow is a free telephone-based program that can help you get answers!
We can help you recognize important developmental milestones for your child’sfirst eight years – everything from smiling, sitting and walking, to talking, playing, and how they move and behave. We have all heard that “Kids don’t come with instructions manuals.” Help Me Grow offers a professional and empathetic ear and a network of resources to get the answers you need.
Take Iranna, for example. Iranna, a young, first-time mom, made a phone call to Help Me Grow because she had concerns about her two year old daughter. Her daughter was eating things that were not food, screaming a lot, not talking like other children the same age, and flapping her hands out of frustration. Our Help Me Grow Care Coordinator listened to Iranna’s concerns and ran through a series of developmental and behavioral screenings to better assess what Iranna was observing. The Care Coordinator explained the results of the screens, identified concerns that could impede her daughter’s development and provided referrals for local resources that could provide the therapies and treatment she needed. In addition, Iranna received parenting tips, information on sensory integration and milestone materials to monitor her child as she progresses. The Care Coordinator followed up to ensure Iranna’s daughter was successfully connected to services and that she was getting the support needed. Just like Iranna, parents sometimes question a behavior and then “wait to see” or maybe the busyness of everyday life prevents them from scheduling an appointment with a healthcare provider. Help Me Grow can be that support to identify any concerns and gather the necessary resources to get parents and children the help they need.
If your child is struggling, help is available. With Help Me Grow in Collier, Glades,
Hendry and Lee counties, families have access to free phone-based screenings and assessments that can identify developmental delays and disabilities. We also take our support a step further – by offering families tools and resources to help their child thrive — all at no cost to the families.
Early identification of developmental and behavioral concerns is important and early intervention can have a significant impact on a child’s ability to learn new skills. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s growth, behavior or learning, we can help you get answers.
If you know a parent or caregiver who might benefit from Help Me Grow, please encourage them contact (239) 425-6920; they can also call 2-1-1 and ask for Help Me Grow; or connect to Help Me Grow by completing a milestone checklist on our website at www.healthystartbaby.org.
We know early intervention is key to helping children achieve their highest level of success. And that’s what we all want for all of our community’s children.
Help Me Grow of Collier, Lee, Hendry and Glades is a program of Healthy Start Coalition of Southwest Florida. It is sponsored by the Children’s Forum and the State of Florida, Division of Early Learning, United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades and Naples Children & Education Foundation, founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival.