About Help Me Grow Sacramento

Help Me Grow Sacramento is a system that supports the healthy development of young children by connecting families to existing resources and services. It's not a specific program, but rather a model that helps build comprehensive early childhood systems. Help Me Grow Sacramento is funded by First 5 Sacramento, and its funded partners include the Sacramento County Office of Education and WarmLine Family Resource Center.

Help Me Grow connects families with resources to ensure children achieve their optimal, healthy development. Help Me Grow supports parents and caregivers by helping them better understand and promote their child's developmental milestones, which encourages their readiness to learn and succeed in school. Learn more about our efforts with the videos below.

Help Me Grow Sacramento County C.A.R.E.S.

Help Me Grow Sacramento County can provide:

  • Connections to resources, activities, and supports

  • Access to individualized recommendations and resources to promote your child’s growth and development

  • Referral to programs and services you need

  • Empowerment of families through information and system navigation support

  • Support with developmental milestone information and free developmental screenings

Fulfilling the Promise: Promoting Children's Healthy Development

Learn more about Help Me Grow’s efforts to support children and families with this TED TALK by Dr. Paul Dworkin, Founder of the Help Me Grow System.

 Help Me Grow Sacramento FAQs

  • All parents and caregivers of young children, birth through age five, who reside in a Sacramento County are eligible for services. 

    Service providers, health care professionals, and community partners can also benefit from HMG’s information and services to support the families they serve.

  • HMG is free! This includes screenings, information, resource connections, and follow-up support. Many referral agencies in HMG communities connect families with free, low-cost, or sliding fees for program services.

    Should I call even if I do not have a specific concern about my child?

    Yes, surveillance and screenings are recommended for all children to ensure they are developing appropriately. HMG supports families in many ways, even if their child does not have a disability or issue of concern.

  • Parents and caregivers can connect with Help Me Grow Sacramento by calling our Call Center or emailing us. Our contact information is:

    Call Center: (916) 822-8744

    Email: helpmegrow@scoe.net

  • A developmental screening is a short questionnaire to assess if a child is achieving milestones such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye.” Screenings help to determine if children are on track with meeting their milestones or if there are possible developmental delays.

  • No, screenings do not provide a diagnosis. While screenings are a strong indication and have a high rate of validity, they are not full evaluations. Screenings do not “absolutely” tell us anything other than if further evaluation/investigation is needed.

  • Family Advocates are specially trained to support families by providing information and education on various topics, researching and making referrals to services, and providing continued support, advocacy, and follow-up as needed. They offer personalized, sensitive, and culturally-relevant support for you and your child.

    Family Advocates can:
    •Respond to questions and provide information regarding children’s development
    •Provide a free developmental screening and appropriate resources
    •Help connect families to resources and supports which may include local play groups, food, housing, parenting classes, child care, early intervention, behavioral health services and other resources based on family and child need
    •Follow-up with families to ensure connection to services