Help Me Grow South Carolina

The mission of Help Me Grow South Carolina (HMG) is to promote the healthy development of all children prenatal to age 5. We accomplish our mission through integrating our system model with multiple partners to develop strategies to advance developmental promotion, early detection of children with developmental or behavioral health problems, and linkage to community-based programs and services.

The first Help Me Grow system was piloted in Hartford, Connecticut in 1997. Since then, a growing number of states and communities have replicated the HMG model as a strategy to support early detection, referral, and linkage to community-based supports. Currently, there are HMG systems in more than 28 states that are affiliates of the Help Me Grow National Network. Help Me Grow South Carolina became an affiliate of the National Network in 2008 with full program launch in 2012. Since its launch, Help Me Grow South Carolina has assisted 4,725 families and made 7,100 referrals to community programs and services.

Help Me Grow South Carolina provides support to any parent who has a question or concern about their child’s development or behavior.  Families access Help Me Grow through a centralized access point that provides telephone-based care coordination by child development specialists who answer questions about developmental or behavioral concerns, help families understand typical developmental milestones, provide referrals to community-based programs and services, and follow up with families to determine if they are connected to recommended supports and if those supports are meeting their needs. An online developmental screening portal provides parents with the opportunity to assess their child’s development, determine any areas needing further evaluation, and learn ways they can support their child’s healthy development.

What excites me most about the work of Help Me Grow South Carolina is being able to offer parents, physicians, and other child and family-serving professionals the information and resources they need to promote optimal developmental and behavioral health in children. These strong partnerships will help to ensure that all children in our community can grow and reach their full potential.

Read, Rattle & Roll
(A free, fun event with developmental screenings for children 5 1/2/ years old and younger)

Monday, October 15^th, 10 am – 1 pm at the Daniel Island Library(2301 Daniel island Drive, Daniel Island, SC 29492)
Tuesday, October 23^rd, 10 am – 1 pm at the St. Stephen Library(113 Ravenell Drive, St. Stephen, SC 29479)

HMG has been a member of Healthy Tri-County since its launch and Tiffany Howard, Community Outreach Program Coordinator, has served as the Co-chair of the Maternal, Infant, and Child Health subcommittee. It’s exciting to see so many organizations working collaboratively, creating new partnerships, raising awareness, and strengthening efforts to improve health outcomes in the tri-county region.