The Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) is a two-year home-based parenting and early childhood enrichment program targeting families with young children. Families start HIPPY when their child is in the year before school (usually around 4 years old) and continue into the second year of HIPPY during their first year of formal schooling. The HIPPY approach develops the foundations for learning in the home during children’s crucial early years. HIPPY fosters social inclusion, contributes to successful school participation and offers parents, a supported pathway to employment and local level community leadership.
HIPPY’s attention to the interactions between children and their parents and its emphasis on supporting early literacy development is consistent with key policy initiatives across Australia and reflects contemporary understanding of the crucial role of parents in their child’s learning. HIPPY seeks to build a sense of belonging for families and children and actively equip parents to support their children and other parents. HIPPY has grown from strength to strength with the support of the Brotherhood of St Laurence.
HIPPY is informed by an evidence base that indicates that children’s earliest and most powerful learnings come from their family and that early learning experiences that encourage literacy and numeracy equip children for lifelong learning.
http://hippyaustralia/bsl.org.au/about/