Azucena Salazar

Within Reach

Azucena Salazar is the Early Care and Education Partner Manager at Help Me Grow WA, a national model that connects families to essential resources and strives to bring together families, and community members. She is also the current CDC “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” Ambassador for the state of Washington. Azucena holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood studies from Heritage University. With over 20 years of experience in early learning, Azucena has dedicated her career to supporting families, children, and Early Care and Education professionals. Azucena is a state-approved trainer by the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), supporting early learning professionals in mastering the core competencies, foundational concepts in child and youth development and program administration. She is passionate about fostering inclusive and resilient communities where every individual has the resources and support, they need to thrive. In her current role, she is responsible for developing partnerships with Early Care and Education (ECE) professionals and the systems that support them and families seeking/accessing childcare and early learning programs. In the Spring 2024 HMG WA launched a pilot program aimed at increasing screening access in ECE settings. Through this initiative, she recruited ten diverse ECE providers across WA state and granted them free access to the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)Online platform. Azucena works cross-functionally to create engaging Help Me Grow training and offer tailored technical assistance (TA) for Early care and education providers. She collaborates closely with the Pregnancy & Early Childhood Development team on development screening outreach and training activities, as well as other related initiatives. In her free time, Azucena loves spending time with her husband, three children, and granddaughter. She enjoys creating delicious meals with her family and cherishes time outdoors at the ranch, especially when she’s with the horses.

Sessions

• Developmental Screening Goes Digital: Technology and partnerships promoting a family-centered approach to developmental screening and resources