Connecting Families to Community Services

A Program of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Family Support Services Division

Help Me Grow is a FREE statewide program that serves children and their families starting from pregnancy.  We connect Connecticut children and their families to community services and resources related to child health, behavior, development and learning.   We serve pregnant women, parents, caregivers, social service agencies, child health providers, as well as early care and education providers.

It’s your call!

Call 211 Child Development at 1-800-505-7000 with any questions or concerns about a child’s development or behavior.  211 CD also helps pregnant women connect to pregnancy related supports, such as WIC, Health Care Providers, Health Insurance, Home Visiting (home based parenting education), Baby Items, and more….

The care coordinators at 211 CD work with each family to find the best services available to meet their needs, including connecting to community resources, family support and education programs, and the Ages & Stages Developmental Monitoring Program, which helps families track their children’s development over time and screen for possible delays.  If concerns about development are identified, a care coordinator will contact the family to discuss referral options.   

If a child is Medicaid eligible, families should be aware of EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program), which is done at regular well child health visits. If a problem is identified through EPSDT, the Doctor should then refer the child for further care.  

Through Help Me Grow, families can also receive information on various topics related to their child’s development, such as managing difficult behavior, toilet training, sleep issues, promoting language development, and typical developmental milestone information.

Follow-up is offered to ensure connections to services have been made, and that the family’s needs have been met.  

BE CHILL!

A statewide education campaign, “Be Chill” was launched to address Shaken Baby Syndrome in Waterbury on September 17 during the annual fatherhood initiative “Dad’s Matter Too” event. DCF Commissioner Katz and OEC Acting Commissioner Linda Goodman attended, delivering some sobering facts about the dangers associated with shaking a crying baby.

Information about the campaign is posted on the Office of Early Childhood website:
http://www.ctoec.org/chill/

A press release about the Be Chill campaign is posted on the website:
http://www.ct.gov/oec/cwp/view.asp?Q=585798&A=4545

This campaign is the work of the Public Health Workgroup, a public-private collaboration of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Department of Children and Families, Department of Public Health, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Office of the Child Advocate, Casey Family Programs, Connecticut Hospital Association, Day Kimball Hospital and Yale New Haven Health Systems.

To make a referral to Help Me Grow, call 211 Child Development at 1-800-505-7000.

Make a Referral