HIPPY and School Readiness

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a parent involvement, school readiness program that helps parents of three, four and five year olds prepare their children for success in school and beyond.
HIPPY promotes school readiness and early literacy through parent involvement by:

  • Providing a HIPPY curriculum with activities for children ages 3, 4 and 5 that offers practice in skills that research has proven crucial to school readiness.
  • Designing the HIPPY curriculum so that parents with limited or unsuccessful schooling, and/or limited financial resources can be successful teachers of their own children.
  • Providing home visits that offer one-on-one instruction from a peer, in the parent’s most fluent language, where available.
  • Creating an environment that supports the parent in their role as the child’s first teacher.
  • Helping parents understand what their child is learning and how that supports future learning.
  • Having group meetings that provide socialization for children and information and support for parents.

HIPPY and No Child Left Behind
Parent involvement is central to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. In that way, the goals of HIPPY and NCLB are similar. HIPPY program sites work to ensure that no child is left behind, regardless of the environment in which s/he grows up. HIPPY prepares parents from disadvantaged backgrounds to be active in their children’s education and to make the parental choices offered by NCLB. The HIPPY program gives children practice in the cognitive and early literacy areas specifically highlighted under the current policy. By partnering with schools and school districts, HIPPY reaches families who could most benefit from the program services.
The US Department of Education lists the following goals of NCLB:
Stronger accountability for results
HIPPY USA strongly believes in accountability and focuses on results. The national office has systems in place to collect data and monitor progress and quality at local HIPPY program sites. National and statewide studies are conducted to measure the success of the model in terms of outcomes for children and parents.
Flexibility for states and communities
All local HIPPY programs follow the program model, although each program also adjusts its local implementation to the needs and resources of the specific community and each family. This allows HIPPY to be effective in different communities and with families that have very different needs.
Concentrating resources on proven education methods
The HIPPY model is research-based and has been proven effective both in helping children start school ready to learn and in helping parents get involved in their children’s education. Several studies on HIPPY from around the United States have shown children coming to school with the necessary early literacy and school readiness skills to be successful learners. Other studies have shown parents getting more involved in their children’s education, both as their children’s first teacher and as an advocate on behalf of their children’s education.
More choices for parents
Parent involvement is at the heart of the HIPPY program; helping parents with the skills, tools and confidence they need to prepare their preschoolers for success in school. Since HIPPY was designed to remove barriers to participation and reach those parents who are often left out, HIPPY helps all parents take advantage of the choices offered to them through the NCLB.
Title I is a major funding source for local HIPPY programs. HIPPY is cited in the US Department of Education’s Non-Regulatory Guidance on Parental Involvement (April 2004).