We value your privacy We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalised ads or content, and analyse our traffic. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to our use of cookies. CustomiseReject AllAccept All Powered by [Visit CookieYes website](https://www.cookieyes.com/product/cookie-consent/?ref=cypbcyb&utm_source=cookie-banner&utm_medium=fl-branding) Customise Consent Preferences We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below. The cookies that are categorised as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... Show more NecessaryAlways Active Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data. - Cookie rc::a - Duration Never Expires - Description This cookie is set by the Google recaptcha service to identify bots to protect the website against malicious spam attacks. - Cookie wpEmojiSettingsSupports - Duration session - Description WordPress sets this cookie when a user interacts with emojis on a WordPress site. It helps determine if the user's browser can display emojis properly. - Cookie rc::c - Duration session - Description This cookie is set by the Google recaptcha service to identify bots to protect the website against malicious spam attacks. - Cookie VISITOR\_PRIVACY\_METADATA - Duration 6 months - Description YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's cookie consent state for the current domain. - Cookie cookieyes-consent - Duration 1 year - Description CookieYes sets this cookie to remember users' consent preferences so that their preferences are respected on subsequent visits to this site. It does not collect or store any personal information about the site visitors. - Cookie wordpress\_test\_cookie - Duration session - Description WordPress sets this cookie to determine whether cookies are enabled on the users' browsers. Functional Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features. - Cookie VISITOR\_INFO1\_LIVE - Duration 6 months - Description A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. - Cookie yt-remote-connected-devices - Duration Never Expires - Description YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos. - Cookie ytidb::LAST\_RESULT\_ENTRY\_KEY - Duration Never Expires - Description The cookie ytidb::LAST\_RESULT\_ENTRY\_KEY is used by YouTube to store the last search result entry that was clicked by the user. This information is used to improve the user experience by providing more relevant search results in the future. - Cookie yt-remote-device-id - Duration Never Expires - Description YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos. - Cookie yt-remote-session-name - Duration session - Description The yt-remote-session-name cookie is used by YouTube to store the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube video. - Cookie yt-remote-fast-check-period - Duration session - Description The yt-remote-fast-check-period cookie is used by YouTube to store the user's video player preferences for embedded YouTube videos. - Cookie yt-remote-session-app - Duration session - Description The yt-remote-session-app cookie is used by YouTube to store user preferences and information about the interface of the embedded YouTube video player. - Cookie yt-remote-cast-available - Duration session - Description The yt-remote-cast-available cookie is used to store the user's preferences regarding whether casting is available on their YouTube video player. - Cookie yt-remote-cast-installed - Duration session - Description The yt-remote-cast-installed cookie is used to store the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube video. Analytics Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. - Cookie \_ga - Duration 1 year 1 month 4 days - Description Google Analytics sets this cookie to calculate visitor, session and campaign data and track site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors. - Cookie \_gid - Duration 1 day - Description Google Analytics sets this cookie to store information on how visitors use a website while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the collected data includes the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. - Cookie \_hjSessionUser\_\* - Duration 1 year - Description Hotjar sets this cookie to ensure data from subsequent visits to the same site is attributed to the same user ID, which persists in the Hotjar User ID, which is unique to that site. - Cookie \_hjSession\_\* - Duration 1 hour - Description - Cookie \_ga\_\* - Duration 1 year 1 month 4 days - Description Google Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views. - Cookie YSC - Duration session - Description YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages. Performance Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. - Cookie \_gat - Duration 1 minute - Description Google Universal Analytics sets this cookie to restrain request rate and thus limit data collection on high-traffic sites. Advertisement Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customised advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyse the effectiveness of the ad campaigns. - Cookie \_\_Secure-YEC - Duration past - Description YouTube sets this cookie to stores the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube video - Cookie \_\_Secure-YNID - Duration 6 months - Description Google cookie used to protect user security and prevent fraud, especially during the login process. - Cookie \_\_Secure-ROLLOUT\_TOKEN - Duration 6 months - Description YouTube sets this cookie to manage feature rollout and experimentation. It helps Google control which new features or interface changes are shown to users as part of testing and staged rollouts, ensuring consistent experience for a given user during an experiment. Uncategorised Other uncategorised cookies are those that are being analysed and have not been classified into a category as yet. No cookies to display. Reject AllSave My PreferencesAccept All Powered by [Visit CookieYes website](https://www.cookieyes.com/product/cookie-consent/?ref=cypbcyb&utm_source=cookie-banner&utm_medium=sl-branding) # Help Me Grow Utah: Engaging families with ‘Books, Blocks & Balls’ ## **Interactive event helps parents understand child development and boosts screenings** _Books, Blocks & Balls_ events transform playtime into a prime opportunity for creating lasting family engagement [Help Me Grow Utah](https://www.helpmegrowutah.org/) is a program of the United Way of Utah County that supports parents during pregnancy and childhood by connecting them to community resources, answering questions, and providing free developmental screenings. When Help Me Grow Utah kicked off in 2010, Executive Director Barbara Leavitt and her team began brainstorming ways to increase the number of children they were screening with Ages & Stages Questionnaires®. Screenings around the state were mostly only offered in pediatric offices, but not even that was a given. Meanwhile, Help Me Grow Utah had the ability and capacity to provide screenings, but needed to ramp up outreach efforts. “We wanted to reach out to _all_ parents,” explains Leavitt. “And we felt if there was a fun and interesting way to do that, we could reach more families and direct those with a need to appropriate resources.” Leavitt and her colleagues believe strongly—and have strong backgrounds—in parent engagement and parent advocacy, so naturally they landed on an event idea that would serve as a family engagement tool that encourages developmental screening. ### **_Books, Blocks & Balls_** **combines fun and learning for the whole family** Leavitt’s team created _Books, Blocks & Balls_, an interactive community event featuring a variety of book-, block-, and ball-themed activity stations for young kids. The activities are designed to captivate little ones while giving them a venue to practice critical early skills, such as emergent literacy and math, gross and fine motor, and problem solving. Think: under-the-table reading nooks, piles of giant blocks made of cardboard boxes, and an obstacle course with wheelbarrows full of balls. “These events help parents see how their children are doing, so they can help them learn, grow, and reach their optimal development.” —Rebekah Tucker, parent support specialist for Help Me Grow Utah “Because we created something fun and child-directed, where kids can spend as much time as they want at each station, they don’t want to leave,” says Rebekah Tucker, parent support specialist for Help Me Grow Utah. “This gives us a captive audience with the parents, who are excited to learn how they can support their child’s development.” Help Me Grow Utah often partners with other early childhood organizations, and volunteers from these organizations “work” the activity stations while sharing information about community resources. Since children are already practicing developmental skills, the activity stations are also the perfect fit for conducting ASQ® screenings. As parents observe and play with their kids in each station, they discover ideas for fun, free activities they can easily recreate at home. They find out about various early childhood-related services available in their community. And they learn that their child’s ability to perform a certain skill by a certain age can shine a light on how their child is developing. _Books, Blocks & Balls_ activities are designed to captivate children while giving them an opportunity to practice critical early skills “When parents are watching and playing with their child in this context, they begin to understand the importance of screening, and why they should screen over multiple intervals,” says Leavitt. “That’s our ultimate goal, to encourage continued screening so caregivers can support development across the gamut of early childhood.” Leavitt and Tucker had been to a lot of outreach fairs where screening information, educational materials, and resources were offered at a separate table. “Parents would go by, pick up the papers, and discard them soon after, never actually engaging with the information or completing the screener,” recalls Leavitt. “We felt it was important to integrate these important aspects throughout Books, Blocks & Balls to create a more supportive environment.” ### **Enjoying success and evolving the program** Leavitt credits Books, Blocks & Balls for the enormous jump in screenings Help Me Grow Utah experienced during its first three years—and the steady growth it continues to enjoy. The organization has served more than 9,300 families since 2010 and she says it’s now a major representative of parents’ voices in the state. These events are very flexible, so it’s easy to customize to meet the needs of the community Initially after creating Books, Blocks & Balls, Help Me Grow Utah held four or five larger events each year, with partners like Head Start, the Early Childhood Council, children’s museums, and rec centers. They’d sometimes interact with as many as 600 families at a single event. They still plan at least one big event each year, but their approach has evolved to include more smaller-scale events at venues that have a built-in family presence. “Going to malls or libraries where parents and children already are is a great way to extend our reach without requiring the manpower of a large event,” says Tucker. In fact, they offer a miniature version of Books, Blocks & Balls called Learn and Grow, which has helped connect lots of parents to Help Me Grow Utah’s services. Learn and Grows are held at libraries around the state 60 to 90 times a year. Community liaisons bring one or two activities for children to try, and parents can ask questions and learn about helpful resources and ASQ screening. “We’re giving parents a voice to advocate for their child,” says Tucker. “These events help parents see how their children are doing, so they can help them learn, grow, and reach their optimal development.” ### **Making _Books, Blocks & Balls_ available to everyone** Books, Blocks & Balls has been such a success that Leavitt’s team has inspired other Help Me Grow affiliates, such as [Help Me Grow Alabama](https://agesandstages.com/alabama-partnership-children-smart-start-help-grow-alabama/), to host their own Books, Blocks & Balls events. “The beauty of these events is that anyone can put one together,” says Tucker. “And it’s super flexible, so you can customize it to meet the needs of the community and the size of your venue.” If you don’t have the capacity to offer screenings yourself, Leavitt recommends reaching out to a [Help Me Grow](https://helpmegrownational.org/) affiliate near you (they’re currently in 28 states), or a similar organization in your area. And if you have questions or need inspiration, Leavitt and Tucker encourage readers to reach out to them. “We’re happy to answer questions. It’s really important to help each other in this field, so if someone’s willing to hold an event, we’re more than happy to share our experiences.” _Contact Help Me Grow Utah by emailing Barbara Leavitt at [barbaral@unitedwayuc.org](mailto:barbaral@unitedwayuc.org) or Rebekah Tucker at [rebekaht@unitedwayuc.org](mailto:rebekaht@unitedwayuc.org)._ _Originally published: February 2019_ - #### What ASQ Users are Saying “What I love about the ASQ is that it allows our staff to catch delays quickly and allows us to get our clients the early intervention programs that they sometimes need. **In many cases \[ASQ\] helps us catch children up before they start kindergarten, therefore providing children with the start that they deserve.**” Sharon Gee, Supervisor, Healthy Families Niagara - [Previous](https://agesandstages.com/free-resources/success-stories/help-me-grow-utah-engaging-families-books-blocks-balls/#) - [Next](https://agesandstages.com/free-resources/success-stories/help-me-grow-utah-engaging-families-books-blocks-balls/#) reCAPTCHA Recaptcha requires verification. [Privacy](https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/) \- [Terms](https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/terms/) protected by **reCAPTCHA** [Privacy](https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/) \- [Terms](https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/terms/)