I am so excited to join the Alabama Partnership for Children as the new HMG Alabama coordinator, and to have the opportunity to help expand a program that has already done such great work in Alabama. It’s been a little over a month since I came on board, but in that brief time, I have been so lucky to attend great meetings and witness how clearly Help Me Grow fits into the early childhood community.
The first meeting I attended was the “Doing What Matters” conference in Tuscaloosa that brought together leaders like Melanie Bridgeforth from VOICES for Alabama’s Children to share how far Alabama has come in national rankings for health, school readiness, and education, and the challenges to keep improving. Next, I was able to meet some of the amazing HMG leadership team to gain a historical perspective on HMG in Alabama and the hard work behind where we are today. We joined the Project LAUNCH team that same day for the first Young Child Wellness Council meeting that brought together early childhood leaders from around the state who will utilize HMG to increase developmental screening and identify the barriers and gaps in services in Alabama. My next stop was the Governor’s Early Childhood Education Leadership Summit in Montgomery, where we heard from national and state leaders about the exciting momentum in brain development research, early child care, and Alabama’s First Class Pre-K. It became even more apparent after hearing the information how these shared goals align with HMG’s mission to achieve the earliest identification and intervention for children at risk for developmental delays. Finally, at the end of February I attended the 14th Annual Alabama Autism Conference that gave attendees the opportunity to hear from leaders like Dr. Ami Klin who pointed to the critical “window of change” between birth and 3 years old where early diagnosis could have the greatest impact on the quality of life for a child and their family.
Last month I met many different people and heard from many different speakers, but they all had one important thing in common. They all want what is best for Alabama’s children and recognize that it is essential to invest the time and resources into early childhood to ensure every child has the best chance to be healthy and happy. I thought Commissioner Nancy Buckner highlighted perfectly the importance of ensuring the highest quality programs and initiatives for children when she said, “It’s far less costly to raise a healthy child, then to repair a dysfunctional adult”. I think Help Me Grow will be a vital link in making this a reality in Alabama, and I am so grateful to be in a position where I can help make it happen!
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