SOUTH POINT – Families with children age birth to 3 are invited to a special kick-off celebration for Lawrence County’s new "Help Me Grow" program.

Monday, December 03, 2001

SOUTH POINT – Families with children age birth to 3 are invited to a special kick-off celebration for Lawrence County’s new "Help Me Grow" program.

The kick-off event will be held Thursday, Dec. 6 at the Lawrence County Early Childhood Center. The kick-off is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the center, located at 1749 County Road 1, South Point.

The "Help Me Grow" program provides prenatal services, newborn home visits, family support and service coordination for eligible families. The program is designed to ensure that all children are healthy and that children receive early screenings for delays and disabilities. Children found to have delays are offered additional services – including speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy – at no charge to the family.

The kick-off event is designed to give families an opportunity to learn more about the new program, said Jamie K. Newberry, project director.

"Since the ‘Help Me Grow’ program combines three previous programs into a consolidated program, families may have questions about how services are now being offered," Newberry said.

The "Help Me Grow" staff will be available at the kick-off event to meet with families about the services that are available. The event will also include games for children, free books for children, and exhibits by other agencies and organizations in the community.

"We mainly want to build awareness for ‘Help Me Grow’ and be here to answer questions that families may have," said Newberry.

The "Help Me Grow" program operates from the Lawrence County Early Childhood Center. It is a program of the Appalachian Family and Children First Council and is funded by the Ohio Department of Health. Partners in the project include the Lawrence County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MR/DD), Lawrence County Department of Jobs and Family Services, Ironton-Lawrence County CAO Head Start, Lawrence County Health Department, GRADS, and other community agencies.

For more information about "Help Me Grow," contact Newberry or Teresa Conway, central intake coordinator at 377-2356.