An Assessment of Help Me Grow Western New York's Progress Toward Strengthening Early Childhood Systems

Healthy child development is a key driver for better health and well-being throughout a person's life, and the early years set that important foundation. Early childhood development programs play a critical role in mitigating risks to the cognitive, social, behavioral, and physical development of children. Increasingly, there is recognition that early intervention to support child development requires more than separate programs and services. Instead, a full system transformation, such as the national Help Me Grow initiative, is necessary. Help Me Grow Western New York (HMG WNY), a regional effort, aims to build and strengthen a comprehensive and coordinated system of early childhood development services and care to support the development and well-being of children in this region. HMG WNY serves eight counties in western New York that form a diverse community whose socioeconomic composition varies but which all share at least some level of need for better coordination and provision of early childhood development programs and services. In this study, the authors assess how HMG WNY addresses this regional need. The authors focus on how HMG WNY is working to strengthen and expand the early childhood network in western New York and provide insights that will inform the next steps for HMG WNY.