Jaquely Norton, M.A.
Developmental Screening Coordinator

Jaquely joined the Help Me Grow, OC team in August of 2015. She worked as a Child Development Care Coordinator until 2018 before transitioning into her current role as Screening Registry Coordinator. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development, with an emphasis in Early Childhood, and a minor in Psychology from California State University, Fullerton. Jaquely also earned a Master of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Education from California State University, Long Beach.

Jaquely is bilingual in Spanish and has worked in diverse settings with children ages birth to five. Her years of experience include teaching a range of infant to preschool aged children in both low-income and private-sector settings. She has a passion for improving developmental screening practices and promoting the importance of early identification and intervention. Jaquely continues to work in education by serving as an adjunct professor in the Child Development and Education Studies Department at Santa Ana College.

Rebecca Hernandez, MSEd
Manager

Rebecca Hernandez has led the effort to establish Help Me Grow in Orange County, California with the support of First 5 Orange County, Children’s Hospital of Orange County and University of CA, Irvine. The Orange County Centralized Access Point launched in 2007 and currently serves nearly 2,500 children per year. Rebecca participates on several countywide initiatives, including Early Childhood OC, Be Well, WeCAN and Detect & Connect, all with the goal of addressing the needs of children in Orange County. Since 2012 she has coordinated the OC Care Coordination Collaborative for Kids with an award from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health to address system issues for children with special health care needs.

Rebecca has been instrumental in the development of technology specific to the Help Me Grow system including STAR, a database for tracking referrals, care coordination, and outcomes as well as community, family, and physician outreach. Since 2014 and with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rebecca has led a collective impact effort focusing on the implementation of the OC Children’s Screening Registry, a countywide database used to communicate screening results across sectors, including early care and education, community-based organizations, and health care providers.

Rebecca is also a consultant for the Help Me Grow National Center supporting replication efforts across the country. She is an alumna of Stanford University where she studied Human Biology with an emphasis in Child Development and she also holds a Master of Science in Education from Wheelock College in Boston.

Cynthia Rodriguez
Help Me Grow Community Liaiason

Cynthia Rodriguez returned to Help Me Grow in November 2018 in a new capacity after her previous stint came to a close at the end of a grant term. Both times, particularly with the current Help Me Grow program, she has hit the ground running with her eyes on the prize to improve the lives of children in Orange County.

Her field of study and vast experience of a diverse seven years in social services encompass direct child development intervention and support, trauma-informed services for mental health clients, and hosting training presentations for parents, medical providers and professional peers.

In her current role as a Help Me Grow Community Liaison, Cynthia benefits children in Orange County by collaborating with medical professionals, community organizations and other service providers specifically working in early childhood to train them on new strategies, to encourage them to implement best practices—such as early and effective screening for interventions—and identifying developmental milestones.

Cynthia earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from San Francisco State University. While off the clock, she makes every minute count. She took on the role as President of Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Orange County in 2018 to onbaord new members and build momentum for the group and its mission and vision.

Erica Duarte
Family Engagement Coordinator

Erica received her Bachelors degree in Psychology & a Minor in Human Services from California State University, Fullerton. She has a passion for educating and connecting families to Orange County resources. She has been part of well recognized agencies in Orange County, such as Regional Center of Orange County, Children's Bureau of Southern California, and Olive Crest Treatment Centers.

Prior to coming to Help Me Grow, Erica worked as a Care Coordinator for Wraparound Services in Orange County. As a Care Coordinator she learned the importance of strengthening families by connecting them to the right resources. She has also been a volunteer for the Probation Department.

Erica joined the Help Me Grow team in March 2010. She continues to fulfill her passion of educating and linking families and their children to resources as a Family Engagement Coordinator.

Jennifer Maresh, M.P.A
Supervisor CSP3

Jennifer received her Bachelors degree in American Studies & Political Science from California State University, Fullerton and a Masters degree in Public Administration from California State University, Fullerton. She has been part of well recognized agencies in Orange County, such as the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center, Orangewood Children's Foundation, and Children's Home Society.

Prior to coming to Help Me Grow, Jennifer worked as a Program Supervisor in the Bridges Maternal Child Health Network Program with the Prevention Center. As a Program Supervisor she helped to launch the implementation of the Positive Parenting Program curriculum within the Bridges Network. She has also provided direct services to Transitional Aged Youth while at the Orangewood Children's Foundation.

Jennifer joined the Help Me Grow team in September 2013. She continues to fulfill her passion of helping direct service staff develop their abilities to provide excellent service to families in need as a Supervisor in the CSP3 program. Jennifer also enjoys using program data to help paint an accurate picture of the team's important work in the community.

Lacey Ginter
Developmental Screening Coordinator

In November of 2006 Lacey was one of the original Community Liaisons to join the Help Me Grow team. As one of the first members to join the team she has been able to participate in the growth of Help Me Grow from the very beginning. As of January 2010 Lacey started her current role as the Developmental Screening Coordinator. Lacey earned her Bachelors degree in Family and Consumer Sciences at California State University, Long Beach with an emphasis in Child Development.

She brings experience in working with families and children along with a passion to help meet the needs of each individual family. Prior to joining Help Me Grow, Lacey was an Intake Service Coordinator for Regional Center of Orange County. In this role she gained working knowledge of family dynamics and used these skills to help determine RCOC eligibility and link families with vendored services best suited to fit their needs. Throughout this experience, Lacey quickly realized the need many families had for support and resources and also the unfortunate disconnect between these families and the resources available to them. The passion that she has to help families overcome this disconnect is what led her to join the Help Me Grow team.

As a Developmental Screening Coordinator, Lacey works closely with families to screen each child's development and then connect them with the resources they need. Enhancing the development of every child is a goal Lacey strives for each day. With her passion, Lacey continues to make a difference in the lives of the families she serves.

Daisy Lezama
Coordinator Screening Registry

Daisy received her Bachelor's Degree in Human Development with a minor in Criminal Justice from California State University, Long Beach. As part of her undergraduate program, she interned for the I Have a Dream of Foundation of Los Angeles where she had the opportunity to work with 3rd graders in the Los Angeles Watts area. She also worked as an instructional aide for Long Beach Unified School District with grades Preschool - 2nd grader students at various school sites. She was able to see that many of the children she worked with had needs that affected their capacity do to well in school. Her passion for helping children grew.

Prior to coming to Help Me Grow, Daisy worked at the Minnie Street Family Resource Center where she helped families and children in her role as a Family Advocate and Community Resource Specialist. Daisy became knowledgeable of the many resources available to individuals and families. She enjoyed the fact that she was able to help and bring comfort to individuals that needed help.

Daisy joined the Help Me Grow Team in December 2014 as a Family Service Care Coordinator. She joined the team where she would continue to help families get connected to resources in the community and was looking forward to being part of an agency that was gear towards children and their development. Daisy knows the importance of child development and is delighted to keep being part of the Help Me Grow Team in her new role as the Coordinator Screening Registry.

Claudia Estrada
Help Me Grow Community Liaison

Claudia first joined the Help Me Grow team in 2009, then after a short departure she rejoined in October 2015 as a Help Me Grow Community Liaison. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Social Behavior, with a minor in Educational Studies from the University of California, Irvine.

She has years of experience working with young children and families. As a Family Service Specialist, she provided intense case management services to preschool families. Claudia has also worked as an Early Intervention Teacher, working with children who were at risk for delays or children with an established diagnosis. She completed assessments and determined appropriate goals that helped children acquire important skills.

Claudia understands the importance of early intervention and stimulating development in young children. She is committed to collaborating with community agencies in hopes to appropriately link families to resources.

Deanna Parga, MSEd
Help Me Grow Community Liaison

Deanna joined the Help Me Grow team in 2009 as a Help Me Grow Community Liaison. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development with a minor in Sociology and Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Special Education, both from California State University, Fullerton. Deanna also earned a Teaching Credential in Early Childhood Special Education.

Deanna brought years of experience to Help Me Grow previously working directly with children birth through five years of age and their families. Previously, Deanna has worked as a preschool teacher, an assistant director of a childcare center, an early intervention teacher, an infant specialist and a religious education teacher. For over 10 years, she was also the Director of Children’s Services, a department that included overseeing all early intervention programs, therapy services and a childcare center. Currently, Deanna is an appointed member of the Orange County Child Care & Development Planning Council as well as several other committees and collaborative groups that advocate for issues surrounding young children and their families. Deanna is also an Adjunct Professor at Fullerton College, CSUF and Brandman University teaching courses in Child Development and Special Education. These experiences provide Deanna with opportunities to have ongoing relationships and knowledge of the systems, agencies and resources available to families and their children, especially those experiencing developmental delays.

Yvette Nunez, M.A., ECE
Help Me Grow Community Liaison

Yvette Nunez joined the Help Me Grow team in October 2013 as a Family Services Care Coordinator for the CSP3 Program. As of July 2015 Yvette started her current role as the Help Me Grow Community Liaison for the West Region. Yvette earned a Bachelors of Science Degree in Child and Adolescent Development from California State University, Fullerton and a Masters of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Education from California State University, Long Beach.

Yvette is bilingual in Spanish and brings years of experiences working directly with children birth through five and their families. She has worked in home settings and center base settings as a home educator with Orange County Headstart. Prior to coming to Help Me Grow, Yvette worked as a Maternal Child Health Coordinator with MOMS Orange County. During her time with MOMS she provided prenatal education, helped connect pregnant women with referrals/resources and provided support to the family during the child's first year of development. Most recently, Yvette has worked as a part-time Adjunct Professor at Santa Ana College in the Early Childhood and Education Studies Department.

Her goal as a Child Development Community Liaison is to help agencies and families connect with resources in their community. Yvette states that she loves giving back to her community and has a passion for making an impact in the lives of children, family and the community.

Tanya Alvarenga
Child Development Community Liaison

Tanya joined the Help Me Grow Team in August 2016 as a Child Development Community Liaison. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Child & Adolescent Development from California State University, Fullerton.

She has years of experience working with young children and families. As a Child Care Center Director she managed an educational program for children ages 2-12 years old, and later opened an Infants program for the center. Tanya has also worked as an In-home Parenting Coach in partnership with Child Protective Services to provide mandated parenting classes to families within the County. As a Program Specialist, she developed a Respite Care program that offered services for military families and children with special needs. She also implemented a new Prevention and Early Intervention program in collaboration with the Children & Families Commission of Orange County. In this program, several agencies in the County worked together to provide developmental services for at-risk children and their families.

These experiences have motivated Tanya to continue to support early intervention programs for children and families. She understands that connecting families to these resources is extremely valuable for a child, and is grateful to be a part of such a great cause.

Cynthia Chandler
Department Assistant

Cindy joined the HMG team in 2015 as the Department Assistant. Prior to coming to Help Me Grow she worked for 27 years in an elementary school as the office manager. She has extensive training in running an office and loves the idea that by doing her job well she allows the staff to do their job more effectively. Cindy is passionate about families and children and is excited to be part of an organization that exists for that purpose.