What is HIPPY? HIPPY stands for the Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters. It is a home-based parenting and early childhood enrichment program aimed at removing barriers to participation that may include limited financial resources or lack of education. The HIPPY approach develops the foundations for school success in the home during the crucial early years, plus offers for some parents, a supported pathway to employment and local level community leadership. HIPPY is a two-generation program, working with both parent and child. HIPPY assists with the child and Families’ transition into school.
Please see the HIPPY History on our website for details of the program’s background. I’ve heard that you recently gained federal funding to open more HIPPY sites. How do we access the funding to open a site in our community?HIPPY Australia is in its first year of a national roll-out funded by the Australian government that will see 50 sites up and running over the next four years. The locations where the programs will be run are selected by the government using a range of information and data based on disadvantage, population and community needs.
It is a gradual roll-out with 13 new sites starting this year, 14 in 2010 and another 14 in 2011. Once locations are announced they will be posted on our website and advertised in newspapers nationally. Agencies in the locations selected are then able to apply for funding through an expression of interest process. *Don’t just wait for Federal funding. We advise you to seek alternate possible sources. (eg. Philanthropic, state, corporate)
I’m looking for a literacy program to incorporate into our community. Would HIPPY be suitable?It may be suitable depending on your community and its needs. The HIPPY approach develops the foundations for school success in the home during the crucial early years, plus offers for some parents, a supported pathway to employment and local level community leadership. The Tutors (who are other parents from the community) visit and show families through the activities via role play. The parent works through the activities, reading to, playing with and helping their child. Thus parents with a low level of literacy, or where English is a second language, can participate. The activity workbooks concentrate on language and discrimination skills, and problem solving. These activities assist with literacy, numeracy, and motor skills while creating good relationships between the child and parent. HIPPY is not defined as a literacy program but as a parenting and early childhood enrichment program. What does HIPPY cost for families? At some sites families are asked for a gold coin donation each week. This usually goes towards celebrations and graduations, but mostly the program is free to the families involved with the organizations running the program always on the lookout for funding opportunities/ from government/from local businesses/ and community organizations and the Philanthropic sector. Programs funded through the Australian Governments national roll-out do not charge families. What does HIPPY cost an agency to deliver?Each site will have different running costs according to their location, situation and community. Keep in mind you are employing a tertiary trained Coordinator and casual home tutors. This program is not run by volunteers. Please phone HIPPY Australia to discuss these finances. | | Someone I know has done HIPPY. How can I do it with my child?Your child will need to be within the correct starting age for the program (usually 3½ -4½ years old). We then need to identify if there is a HIPPY site in your local area. If there is, we can pass on your details to the Coordinator who will be in contact to give you more information. The program runs for 30 weeks a year for two years. If there is not a HIPPY site in your area it would be a good idea to approach any of your local community and family services to inform them about the program and encourage them to make contact with us about opening a site.
I am a qualified teacher and am working in a community centre. I would like to run HIPPY teaching small groups of children for a certain amount of time each week. I am wondering whether your program would be of benefit?HIPPY is a program that works with Families, to encourage the idea of Parents as their child’s first teacher. The program is delivered by a Tertiary trained site Coordinator to parents from the community who are employed as home tutors. The home tutor completes the activities with their own children before making home visits to families within their community and role-playing the activities with the parents. The parent then spends time each day reading playing and doing the activities with their own child. HIPPY may definitely benefit your community but it is not designed to be delivered directly to children. Our target is parents and helping them to better help their own children. 
Do you have any research that shows that HIPPY works?In Australia, a series of small research and evaluation projects between 2002 and 2007 has shown very positive and recurring themes: - Eagerness in children to learn new concepts
- Increased self-confidence of parents
- Improved communication between parents and children
- Positive impact on family relationships
You can find some of the Research Summaries on our website. In 2007 a new National Research Project began, lead by Monash University in partnership with the Brotherhood of St Laurence, and with stage 1 funded by the Victorian government and Brotherhood of St Laurence. The project aims to track outcomes for a higher number of families across as many sites as possible within Australia, over a five year period. I would like to volunteer to help with HIPPY. Who should I speak with?You are welcome to make contact directly with the site that you wish to volunteer with, and you may need to undergo a ‘working with children’ check. Volunteer activities usually consist of helping to stick translations in books for families, helping with admin tasks around the site and craft activities. At the end of the year many volunteers really enjoy being involved in preparations for the HIPPY Age 5 Graduation Celebrations and in helping to facilitate the final event. Does the program adapt to local conditions?Each HIPPY site operates a little bit differently according to the needs of the families and communities served. There is always an open discussion about what variations might be needed. However there are core elements of the program which all sites follow in order to achieve targeted program outcomes. |