Breaking Down Barriers • Help Me Grow WA

Important updates about COVID-19 and how we can serve you

Last year, Help Me Grow Washington served a growing number of families. We responded to 16,496 requests for support, serving 12,122 children and 892 pregnant people. Help Me Grow Washington provided 133,742 resources and referrals. Food security and family stability resources were the most common referrals.

Learn more in our 2024 Impact Report

71%

of families
served had
children ages 0-2

62%

of people served
requested basic
needs assistance

66%

of callers identified their race or ethnicity as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)

33%

of families preferred a language other than English – Help Me Grow served people in 43 different languages

How We Serve Families

We serve all families in Washington. Help Me Grow coordinates access to the essentials: food security, family supports, medical care, and child development. We build connections with the families we serve and, over multiple interactions, ensure they are connected to helpful resources and programs. We also identify targeted populations that experience racial, systemic, or structural barriers to accessing services, and work to make sure these families have access to the resources they need, when they need them.

How We Serve Communities

We know it is essential to have a coordinated approach and centralized access to resources that support families. We work with local communities to find gaps in services, and plan and implement Help Me Grow in a way that honors the unique needs and resources of their regions. We provide access to funding, data, and resources to innovate and system-build. We collaborate with early childhood and learning coalitions, health care and social service providers, parents and caregivers, Tribal communities, and others to better serve families.

Building a Better System

We advocate on behalf of families, communities, and our partners to build a better future. Help Me Grow is strategically positioned to both define and support a shared agenda that promotes the optimal healthy development of all young children. Through advocacy and funding efforts, we coordinate requests from regional and local Help Me Grow systems to reflect localized needs with funders and legislature. We build a process for communities to access catalytic funding, resources, and support to develop local Help Me Grow systems.

How We Create Impact

Family Spotlight: Maria

Our family-centered, empathetic approach created a place where Maria felt she could open up about her past, talk through barriers she continued to face, and get connected to community supports that will help her meet her goals.

Family Spotlight: Luis

In our video, meet Luis as he navigates complex food and health systems to get their families the resources they need, with support from a Family Resource Navigator at Help Me Grow Washington.

Tribal Adaptation

Over the last year, in partnership with Native-owned firm, Kauffman and Associates, Tribes were invited to share programmatic strengths, gaps, and challenges to guide Help Me Grow adaptations in their communities.

Join the Network

We welcome all who are interested in learning more about Help Me Grow Washington and who support building an organized system of community resources to help children grow up healthy.

Learn More