We are excited to share important updates on the expansion of Help Me Grow throughout Washington state. We have reorganized our newsletter so you can find information sorted by state, national and regional news. Enjoy!
Help Me Grow Washington News

Get Involved! Join an Action Team

Parents, caregivers, community members, providers and early childhood champions are invited to help design the expansion of a unified Help Me Grow Washington, starting with kick-off sessions on September 29 and 30! We are currently recruiting HMG Action Team members in six areas: Coordinated Access Point, Family & Community Outreach, Child Health Care Provider Outreach, Data Collection & Analysis, Equity and Advocacy.

If you are interested in serving on one of the HMG Action Teams, please:

Please share the flyer! Action Teams will be centered on values of racial equity and inclusion, and will launch with two half-day virtual sessions September 29 and 30, facilitated in partnership with the National Equity Project. We are committed to making this opportunity accessible to all, so let us know if interpreting services, technology or other accommodations are needed.
HMG Statewide Infrastructure Considerations & Findings

The Child Trends team, responsible for developing recommendations to inform the design of a sustainable HMG statewide infrastructure, presented an overview of preliminary findings from focus groups with families and providers, stakeholder interviews and a review of existing reports. The initial findings offer a foundation in understanding the capacity and conditions for success to expand a high quality, sustainable HMG system for families. This information will inform the next phase of the project: technological considerations. View the findings here.
Help Me Grow Washington Website Now Available in Spanish

We are excited to announce that our HMG WA website is now translated into Spanish. Please help us spread the word, and check out the Spanish version of the website here.
Help Me Grow National News
National Prenatal-to-3 Research to Policy Summit

All early childhood stakeholders are invited to attend this event on September 15! The theme of the inaugural 2020 National Prenatal-to-3 Research to Policy Summit is Building a State Policy Roadmap to Strengthen the Earliest Years. The Summit will bring the early childhood field together to learn about the newest findings on the science of the developing child, discuss policy to reduce racial disparities, and to share the much-anticipated 2020 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap. Learn more and register.
Help Me Grow Local News

Central Washington Family Resource Navigator

We are thrilled to announce a new Family Resource Navigator position based in Central Washington. HMG Central Washington and WithinReach are working closely throughout the recruitment and interview process to find the ideal candidate, to be hired by mid-September. We look forward to sharing more about this position in the next newsletter!
Help Me Grow Local COVID-19 Response

Through the generous support of Help Me Grow National and the JPB Foundation, HMG WA sub-affiliates Skagit and Pierce Counties received funding for essential baby and toddler supplies to distribute to families. In Pierce County the funding supported five diaper bank locations across the county, which have distributed more than 16,000 diapers since launching on May 22. In Skagit, HMG leaders partnered with a broad network of community partners for distribution of essentials such as diapers, wipes, formula and breastfeeding supplies. This strengthened their partnership with the Diaper Bank of Skagit County, catalyzing discussions about how to support long-term sustainability of the diaper bank and how to address other gaps in basic needs services.
Perigee Grant Recipients

Help Me Grow Pierce County received a grant from the Perigee Fund to continue to coordinate local efforts to decrease child maltreatment and support families with children from pregnancy through age 5 with connection to resources. Over the next year, community partners aim to support the improvement of services and respond to family needs via a rapid prototyping of solutions to fill identified resource gaps.
Help Me Grow King County Expansion

To expand the HMG King County network of partners, the HMG King County team awarded funding to 27 community-based organizations. More information on the grantees and funding can be found on the Best Starts for Kids Blog. The funding will support the connection of a network of organizations that provide families and communities culturally and/or linguistically matched connections to services and resources.
News & Resources

From Help Me Grow National:

  • Read the HMG National Annual Report to learn more about HMG expansion and progress across the country, its reach and novel approaches explored by affiliates.


  • HMG National held a Virtual Forum August 10 -13 full of inspiring presentations from people around the nation. Click here for access to the slide presentations and handouts.

For Parents & Caregivers:


  • In their Fall 2020: Ready or Not blog, Washington PAVE (Partnerships for Action, Voices for Empowerment) provides several articles to support families in their conversations with schools, including with IEPs. 

WithinReach is working in shared leadership with the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families and Washington Communities for Children to guide the design and development of a vision and spread and scale plan for a unified Help Me Grow Washington. This newsletter will promote Help Me Grow efforts and share relevant state and local communications, resources and updates across the network.
Send along ideas and resources for the Help Me Grow Washington website and future newsletters by emailing Taryn Zier at tarynz@withinreachwa.org.
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