Help Me Grow Washington Network News

We are excited to share recent progress made on five of the strategic initiatives in the Help Me Grow WA Strategic Plan.

Establish a Governance Model

DCYF Help Me Grow Specialist Heidi Larsen is partnering with the Coordinating Team and the Community Partner Board to draft the Stewardship Council charter. This council will oversee HMG WA Network’s strategic goals and advise on funding and partnerships. After finalizing the charter, key community leaders will be invited to join the council.

Although council seats are limited, please reach out at HMGWA@withinreachwa.org if you know someone we should consider!

Establish New Partnerships

Help Me Grow WA and the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics wrapped up a series of open houses with healthcare providers in Oak Harbor, Stanwood, Ellensburg, and Yakima. Providers discussed resource navigation challenges and the need for a coordinated system. The Early Childhood Developmental Health Systems Grant (ECDHS) will further explore these issues in Grays Harbor and Grant County.

Develop Specialized Referral Pathways

Help Me Grow Washington Childcare Referral Pathway: Building off of what was shared in the June newsletter, the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) Pilot ran for six weeks with nine early care and education (ECE) providers. Pilot sites had good representation of counties across western, central, and eastern Washington, and a mix of center-based, home-based, and Play and Learn groups.

Key learnings include:  

• In just six weeks, the participating ECE providers entered 138 screenings.  
• All providers intend to continue using ASQ Online and were enthusiastic about the efficiencies it adds for staff and families.  
• Providers made recommendations including streamlining the software setup and allowing for more practice time.

Planning has already kicked off for the 2025 pilot with an expanded focus to inform process and strategy for scaling statewide.

Help Me Grow Washington and Child Welfare: On July 30, the White House hosted a convening on Child Welfare Transformation. The Biden administration invited a broad coalition of key stakeholders and policymakers, including Lark Kesterke, WithinReach employee and Director of the Help Me Grow Washington Network, to discuss and offer wisdom at the event. 

Deploy Strategic Communications & Conversations

Launch of the New HMG Impact Report! We finalized the 2023 HMG Impact Report, detailing our efforts to support families and expand system partnerships. The report showcases the impact of our initiatives and we invite you to share it with your networks.

Define Goals and Targets

Starting in mid-August, Help Me Grow Washington began setting goals and metrics aligned with our 5-year Strategic Plan using a Targeted Universalism approach. Over the next several months, HMG partners – supported by Seed Collaborative – will come together to make meaning of our data compendium, solidify performance and evaluation metrics, and identify targeted strategies to ensure all families with young children in Washington are accessing what they need. We are in the listening phase; gathering feedback to refine our strategies and ensure all Washington families access needed resources.

Help Me Grow Local System Spotlight

Photo of Katie Watkins, Partners for Young Children Coordinator

HMG Island County’s phased implementation of HMG includes updating the HMG ParentHelp123 ResourceFinder with local resources and engaging with partners on how to approach and support the Plan of Safe Care in their county. 

Resources to Share

• Check out Learn the Signs. Act Early (LTSAE) resource that aims to facilitate family/caregiver-engaged developmental monitoring so that developmental delays and disabilities, including autism, can be identified early.
• Learn more about Help Me Grow Washington by visiting our website!

Send along ideas and resources for the Help Me Grow Washington website and future newsletters by emailing Keri Nguyen.

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