‘Help Me Grow’ Child Development Program Receives Federal Funding
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday the receipt of $2.1 million in federal funding that is earmarked to increase developmental skills among children and decrease maternal depression in the Western New York and Long Island regions.
The state’s Council on Children and Families will partner with the New York State Department of Health and local agencies on the projects to ultimately develop a statewide model for screening children earlier for developmental delays, screening their mothers for depression and to provide needed services sooner to promote long-term success.
Locally, Niagara University’s College of Education has been instrumental in bringing the child development screening program to the region. Help Me Grow Western New York will receive a portion of the funding to further cultivate a centralized comprehensive online resource database of community-based resources and services that can help address a child’s basic, educational, recreational or health needs.
The program, based on the national model established by Dr. Paul Dworkin, is a free service to Erie and Niagara county families that connects them to community resources and child development information.