A great concept for preschool children was born at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1969. Under the name Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters the program emerged from the National Council of Jewish Women Research Institute for Innovation in Education. From Israel, HIPPY has been replicated in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States, serving 22,000 families worldwide. According to Florida HIPPY, the first significant benchmark following its inception in 1969 was in 1984 when the HIPPY program was introduced into the United States. The Florida HIPPY Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Center was opened in 1996 and is housed at the University of South Florida in Tampa. HIPPY started in Sarasota in 1992 and today there are 18 programs serving over 1,600 families in Florida. As initially conceived, the HIPPY program was designed to help parents learn how to teach their three, four, and five year old children at home. Because of the significant role of the parents, the program name has recently been modified to become "Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters". Representatives from around the world met to determine the goals of HIPPY. From this work emerged a wonderful set of goals for HIPPY programs: Increasing the chances of positive early school experiences among children who may be educationally at risk Empowering parents to view themselves as primary educators of their children Creating an educational environment in the home that encourages literacy Stimulating the cognitive development of the child Improving interaction between parents and their children Teaching parents and children the joy of learning Breaking through the social isolation of the parents Fostering parental involvement in school and community life Providing parents with the opportunity of becoming paraprofessionals in their own community Helping paraprofessionals develop skills and work experience needed to compete successfully for other jobs in local labor markets

As a program that stresses the vital role of parents interacting with their children to strengthen the family, HIPPY empowers parents as primary educators of their children in the home and fosters parent involvement that maximizes the chances of successful early school experiences for their children.

In 1996, an impressive eighty-five percent (85%) of HIPPY graduates were ready for school, but the YMCA staff knew that this could be improved. HIPPY added developmental screenings of its children twice annually assuring that the children are reaching developmental milestones. Ongoing training of Home Visitors and improvement in the curriculum has paid off for the children. In 2004, 100% of Sarasota HIPPY graduates were considered school ready.

To be a HIPPY parent is an honor and a challenge. Parents must take time each day to work with their children, using materials appropriate to their children's level of development. However, they don't have to do this all alone. For one hour each week Home Visitors come directly to the parent's home, bringing with them the wonderful stories and activities that will keep the children and their parents challenged and excited about learning. A typical HIPPY packet stresses developmentally appropriate materials related to language development, sensory exploration, perceptual discrimination skills, problem solving, literacy concepts, and math concepts. Each packet contains a step-by-step lesson plan, directions, and answer keys. Parents receive a new packet every week for 30 weeks. The primary method of instruction is non-threatening role-playing, guiding the parent through the packet by demonstrating how to use the materials. The Home Visitor assures that the parents are comfortable and confident about the materials before the parents introduce them to their children.

The HIPPY curriculum is individually designed for ages 3, 4 and 5 and each of the sets includes 9 storybooks, a set of plastic shapes, and 30 activity packets with weekly instruction from Home Visitors. A child may participate for three years and receives the curriculum packet for the appropriate age level. Parents learn that the structure really is more for them than for the children because the activities are often open-ended, leaving room for the parents to explore creativity with their children. Parents learn to become a part of what early childhood research has proven:

The home and family provide a singular contribution to the educational development of young children during their early years.

When parents are involved in their child's education in the preschool years, children do better in school, stay in school, and become better citizens in school.

To further strengthen their role, parents attend monthly group meetings with Home Visitors and other parents to review HIPPY materials, develop teaching skills, and address other concerns. This gives the group opportunities to explore areas such as child development, health education, presentations by community resources, the transition to kindergarten, and other topics that individual parents may not be able to access on their own.

Once a family decides to become a HIPPY family, they learn that the program truly is a school-readiness program and that they don't have to be "professional educators." By bringing a delightful and positive experience into their home, they can personally help their children succeed in school. HIPPY fully supports the role of parents as educators in the home. Since HIPPY is intended to reach parents who are not actively seeking parent education and support groups of their own, it starts where they are - at home. Bringing early literacy activities into the home reinforces the notion of parent as first teacher and the home as the first learning environment.

Many HIPPY children live in households that do not qualify for School Readiness scholarships under the current work requirement rules. Children of parents with low socio-economic status and low literacy frequently arrive at school without the skills required for success in kindergarten. HIPPY is a proven alternative to assure that Florida's children arrive at school ready for success.

HIPPY not only builds school readiness skills, but also may be the first step toward a life-long emotional foundation between parent and child. A recent study conducted by the University of South Florida on the Sarasota HIPPY program found that HIPPY graduates are ready for kindergarten, those in elementary school were doing well in school and were supervised by parents to do homework daily just as they were trained to do HIPPY work daily. The researchers also noted that participating parents were more willing to enroll in GED classes, seek mental and physical health services, seek employment skills training, and substance abuse counseling.

The HIPPY program currently addresses the needs of over 150 preschool children ages 3 - 5 and their parents, who are among the poorest of the poor in public housing and surrounding communities in Newtown, Venice and Northport. In addition to a varied multi-racial population, the program includes a caseload of 22 families/25 children who are Hispanic/Latino. This program is available to Sarasota residents who are economically and educationally challenged. The typical HIPPY household earns less than $10,000 per year.