Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)® Meets HHS Criteria

Model effectiveness research report last updated: 2023

Model overview

Theoretical approach

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a home visiting model that focuses on parent-involved and parent-directed early learning. HIPPY services are offered to parents, who then work with their own 2- through 5-year-old children. HIPPY’s mission is to help parents prepare their children for success in school and beyond. The model supports parents as their children’s first teacher by providing them the tools, skills, and confidence to teach their young children in the home.

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Model services

The HIPPY model includes five required components:

  1. A developmentally appropriate school readiness curriculum. HIPPY includes four separate curricula: Little Learners (Age 2) and HIPPY Age 3, Age 4, and Age 5. Each curriculum is structured as lesson plans that use storybooks, learning exercises, and activities to expand children’s literacy and language development, social and emotional development, and problem-solving skills. Parents are trained to use the relevant curriculum through weekly visits with peer home visitors; parents and children are instructed to spend 15 to 20 minutes a day together completing the activities.
  2. One-on-one weekly home visits. The home visitor works to build lasting relationships with the family by offering individual training in the family’s home. Home visits and group meetings strive to address the educational, social, and personal needs of enrolled families.
  3. HIPPY group meetings. Meetings are designed to provide social experiences for children and adults, expose participants to new concepts, and allow parents to find solutions to common challenges through information and resource sharing. Group meetings also foster active engagement in the program, especially when extended family members participate. 
  4. Role play as the method of instruction in the curriculum. Role play allows parents to discuss the purpose of individual activities, reflect on their own and their child’s learning needs, and develop new teaching skills. The use of role play is designed to create a non-threatening learning environment in which mistakes are accepted, and to support parents with any level of education in their efforts to become more effective as their children’s first teacher.
  5. Peer home visitors and professional coordinators. Staffing structure includes peer home visitors from the community in which the family is being served and professional coordinators with sensitivity to the needs of vulnerable families.

The first home visit serves recruitment and retention purposes. HIPPY US recommends that the professional coordinator conduct the first home visit with a family to provide a comprehensive overview of the program, describe the commitment the program is making to the family, and explain the commitment required of the family. During the initial visit, the professional coordinator considers which of the program’s home visitors would be the best fit for the family.

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Intended population

HIPPY is designed for parents and caregivers* who want to gain confidence in their ability to teach their children and fully prepare them for success. In particular, HIPPY aims to work with parents facing challenges that could hinder their ability to provide quality preschool education to their child, such as having limited formal education, limited English proficiency, or limited financial resources. 

HIPPY serves parents with children ages 2 through 5 years.

*Throughout the rest of this profile, the term “parent” refers to both parents and caregivers.

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Where to find out more

HIPPY US

Email: info@hippyus.org
Website: hippyus.org

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