Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters

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Today, research is demonstrating the importance early childhood education plays in students' success, not only in the elementary grades but throughout their lives.  According to the Carnegie Foundation, 35% of American kindergarten children enter school unprepared to learn.  Another study by Brizius & Foster indicates that 50% of low income children enter first grade up to two years behind their peers in preschool skills.  While Headstart and local child development agencies are addressing a part of this issue, we still estimate that up 50% of children age zero (0) to five (5) are not in any type of child development facility.

  

Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a parent involvement and school readiness program that teaches parents how to prepare their children for success in school. By giving parents the tools, skills and confidence they need to work with their children in the home, HIPPY empowers them to serve as their child’s first teacher.  The program is also designed to bring families, organizations and communities together and remove barriers that may include limited financial resources or lack of education. While the main focus of HIPPY is on the parents, the program involves other caregivers such as grandparents, relatives or friends who may also be caring for the child.

 

Our United Way has received an award from the OneStar Foundation in the amount of $1,920,000 in federal funds to implement a HIPPY program in El Paso County including Socorro.  The HIPPY program is being delivered by 38 full time AmeriCorps members who serve as Home Visitors.  They are providing the research based curriculum to a minimum of 400 parents of preschoolers aged three (3) to five (5).