HIPPY Sites

The first HIPPY project in Australia began in 1998 in the City of Yarra, auspiced by the Brotherhood of St Laurence. Twenty families were enrolled, with three home tutors employed to work with families in their homes. Growing slowly but steadily, HIPPY currently operates in three states in Australia, helping over 400 families per year.

In 2008 HIPPY is run in:

Fitzroy, Victoria (inner urban)
Moonee Valley,Victoria (inner urban)
Geelong, Victoria (regional city)
Colac, Victoria (rural)
Winchelsea, Victoria (rural)
La Perouse, NSW (urban)
Smithton, Tasmania (rural)
Burnie, Tasmania (rural)
Moreland, Victoria (urban)

For many years Readings has been a major supporter of HIPPY Fitzroy.

The Rotary Club of Sydney has generously donated funds to support HIPPY La Perouse.

We work with:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
culturally and linguistically diverse families, including Vietnamese, Hmong, Turkish, Ethiopian, Sudanese, Eritrean, Chinese, Iraqi, Somali, and other "new arrival” communities
families with Anglo-Celtic and European backgrounds.

These groups cover diverse economic, cultural, educational and social demographics.

Our storybooks are translated into Somali, Vietnamese and Arabic. They are available in audio format in English and the above mentioned languages, with other languages to be added as funding is secured.

Pictured: HIPPY Coordinators and Tutors from all sites at the training forum held in February 2008.

"HIPPY Australia (Brotherhood of St Laurence) is proud to acknowledge its partnership with AXA, which since 2005 has supported the
development and extension of the program to many more communities across Australia. The Brotherhood also acknowledges the financial
support of the Myer Foundation and Victorian State Government for HIPPY programs in local communities since 2007."