SFY26 Referral Source eNewsletter - First Edition

Help Me Grow is a statewide system of supports that promotes the healthy growth and development of young children through pregnancy and early childhood. Services and supports are provided statewide through Home Visiting, Early Intervention, developmental screenings, and connections to community resources.

Call (800) 755-4769 (GROW) to speak with an Intake Specialist, or click here for regional contact information.

Email your questions and completed referral forms to HMGReferrals

@helpmegrow.org.

Fax completed referral forms to

(855) 418-3322 or 

(855) 318-3322.

Are you with a Public Children Service Agency?

We have a special form for you! Click below to access the HEA 8021 form specific for Public Children Services Agency (PCSA) referrals. The form can also be found on SACWIS. Once complete, you can email it to HMGreferrals@helpmegrow.org.

Help Me Grow Central Intake & Referral transitioned from eight to seven regions in July 2025. Counties previously served by the Pike County Board of Developmental Disabilities in the Southern region have transitioned to Central, Southeastern and Southwestern regions:

• Action for Children in Central region now serves Fairfield and Pickaway counties
• Butler County Educational Service Center in the Southwestern region now serves Lawrence, Pike, Ross, and Scioto counties
• Noble County Health Department in Southeastern region now serves Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Meigs, and Vinton counties

These agencies already had relationships in many of those counties through other services at their agencies. Their teams are providing a seamless transition for these counties and we are excited to expand their service area and staff.

Please send questions to provider@helpmegrow.org.

More than 300 visits and counting!

Since the program launch in December 2024, Family Connects Ohio (FCO) community partners have conducted more than 300 home visits to families with newborns across Ohio!

FCO is an evidence-based nurse home visiting model that connects families to healthcare providers who support and nurture both family and newborn health. All families with newborns, including adoptive, foster, and bereaved families in FCO communities, are offered a home visit with a highly trained registered nurse at no cost.

FCO is currently available in 11 counties*, with more catchment areas coming soon!

*FCO was formerly only available to those birthing at University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC), but has now expanded for all Hamilton County residents.

Help us reach more families

We need your help to get the word out about this essential program. Click the button below to download FCO promotional material.

Would your families respond more to social media? We have a social media toolkit, a real-time hub where you can access on-brand, ready-to-share social content!

Home visitors are pregnancy and parenting professionals who use a compassionate approach and empower families with skills, tools, and confidence to nurture the healthy growth of their child through the earliest years – a critical time of development.

Sparkler gives both families and providers the opportunity to complete developmental screenings, receive results, and access play activities.

As a Sparkler PROGRAM PARTNER, providers can:

• Complete screenings for children in their care
• Gain access to a program-specific Sparkler dashboard
• Share an assigned program code with families and gain access to a child's screening results
• Share play-based activities
• Meet the developmental screening requirement of Ohio’s revised Learning & Development quality rating standard and Home Visiting requirements.

Steps for creating a Sparkler account and becoming a program partner are available on our ASQ providers page at helpmegrow.org.

Since the launch of Sparkler in September 2024, screenings have increased exponentially. In less than one year, we have hit a significant milestone of more than 10,000 Ohio children screened using the ASQ and Sparkler tools!

Anyone can and should refer a child to Early Intervention if they have concerns that a child is experiencing a possible delay or disability. There is no need to "wait and see."

Early Intervention professionals work with a child and their family to identify strengths and needs and address concerns as early as possible. Early support can reduce the need for services later in life.

Want more Help Me Grow information?

Schedule a virtual or in-person Help Me Grow presentation tailored directly for your staff, or have promotional and informational materials delivered straight to your office for families you serve. Email communications@helpmegrow.org today to speak with Help Me Grow Outreach and Marketing.