Help Me Grow National Forum 2023
The Help Me Grow (HMG) National Center and HMG North Texas co-hosted the in-person forum on October 11-13 at the Omni Hotel Fort Worth where over 300 attendees participated. The forum featured learning intensives offered by leading organizations around the country and HMG National Center staff. Attendees had the opportunity to network, learn from one another, and develop new and supportive connections across the HMG community.
The Early Learning Alliance (ELA) team is a partner organization for HMG North Texas where we serve on their Leadership Team, Family Engagement subcommittee, and Data Collection & Analysis subcommittee. The HMG North Texas subcommittees had the privilege to present at a breakout session and share their experiences and best practices within the HMG community. Our project manager, Rebecca Rueda, co-presented with the Family Engagement subcommittee and highlighted the importance of having family voices in the HMG North Texas subcommittees.
“Family voices are important because they are the current experts and bring added value to our work.” Rebecca Rueda, ELA Project Manager
Anne Ware, Data Consultant for ELA, also spoke at the session representing the Data Collection & Analysis subcommittee where she provided a quick overview of the data that were collected and are currently being collected in order to guide the direction and focus of HMG North Texas. The Family Engagement and Data Collection & Analysis subcommittees are composed of multiple key organization partners in North Texas.
The HMG North Texas has a parent-led council named the Family Advisory Council (FAC). The advisory council is a passionate group of parent leaders committed to making a difference in the lives of families. Each member of the FAC plays a vital role within the council. For example, the council has two co-chairs, secretary, treasurer, training advisory, community events coordinator, and community alignment coordinator—and all positions are held by parent leaders. At the forum, the parent leaders from the FAC had their own breakout session where they shared their takeaways, experiences, and new skill sets they acquired during their time in the council.
“As a member of the HMG North Texas Family Advisory Council, I appreciate having a space to share our experiences and the opportunity to work with other parents. The national forum was very informative and inspiring. I enjoyed learning from other HMG agencies and Commissioner Charles Brooks’s speech was very inspiring.”
A few parents from the FAC also participated in the planning committee for the 2023 North Texas Family Leadership Summit. The parent advisors were the lead planners of the event and provided information relevant for today’s parents who have children under the age of six. This opportunity allowed them to participate beyond the Family Advisory Council and gain leadership and advocacy skills.
Help Me Grow North Texas also hosted a reception to welcome the attendees to Fort Worth on October 11. The attendees had the opportunity to enjoy a Tex-Mex appetizer dinner party on the beautiful patio of famous family-owned Joe T. Garcia’s near the stockyards. In addition, the attendees visited the chapter’s booths to mingle and learn about the various HMG North Texas committees. Lastly, attendees were encouraged to explore the historic Stockyards afterwards “where the west begins.”
ABOUT HELP ME GROW & HELP ME GROW NORTH TEXAS:
Help Me Grow National Center promotes child development by working to successfully link families to community resources that meet their needs. This happens through cross system collaboration of existing community resources that meet all family’s needs.
Help Me Grow North Texas provides an information line that connects a family or provider to child development services and other community-based resources within the North Texas area.
