HIPPY is a two year, home based parenting and early childhood enrichment program that gives parents the skills to be their child’s first teacher. The program builds the capacities of parents to prepare their child for school, and also offers HIPPY tutors a supportive pathway to employment and community leadership. Since 2008 the Australian Government’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) has funded 50 HIPPY sites, providing invaluable early learning support and encouragement to around 3500 disadvantaged families. ‘If the goal were just to get the children school ready then the more direct route might to take the children out of the home and work directly with the children with a professional educator. But HIPPY's unique approach is to work in the home through the parent, because that parent child interaction and that child parent bond around educational activities is a relationship and a connection that we expect, and know through our research, will last throughout the educational career of the child.’Dr Miriam Westheimer, Director HIPPY International during her visit to Melbourne in 2010See the video of two of our first HIPPY graduates now in Year 12
Download a full copy of the report here.
Download our media release (PDF file 78 KB) on the release of the HIPPY evaluation report.
Take a look at the beautiful booklet designed for parents and their children to share the experience of reading and learning together.
