Undetected behavioral and developmental problems in children can have a profound impact not only on the lives of the children and families involved, but also upon our society’s mental health, educational and juvenile justice systems. Help Me Grow is designed to identify children at risk for developmental or behavioral problems and to connect these children to existing community resources that can help.

Help Me Grow employs the concept of developmental surveillance, pioneered in Great Britain and championed here in Connecticut by Dr. Paul Dworkin, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and a driving force behind the creation of Help Me Grow. Critical to developmental surveillance is the input of parents.

Help Me Grow consists of four primary components:

·   The training of child health providers in effective developmental surveillance.

·   The creation of a resource inventory of community-based programs supporting child development and families.

·   The development of a coordinated, statewide system of referral

     that links young children and families to existing services and support.

·   The collection of data and analyses of children’s developmental status

     and statewide resources.

With one phone call to the Child Development Infoline (the telephone access point for Help Me Grow – 1-800-505-7000), a child health provider or parent with any type of concern about a child’s development or behavior can access professional assistance and a database of community-based support services.

The Child Development Infoline is a collaborative effort of the Children’s Trust Fund, United Way/Infoline, Connecticut Birth to Three System and State Department of Education Preschool Special Education.

CDI Organizational Chart

Help Me Grow Data

Child Development Community Liaisons Job Description

Telephone Care Coordinators (Child Development Infoline) Job Description

Components of Community Networking

Office-Based Training On Developmental Surveillance (Powerpoint)