Mission

HIPPY empowers parents as the primary educators of their children in the home and fosters parental involvement in school and community life to maximize the chances of successful early school experiences.

What We Do

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is an evidenced-based early learning program, addressing the achievement gap by supporting parents in their critical role as their child's first and most influential teachers. In the HIPPY model, peer home visitors deliver 30 weeks of high quality school readiness curriculum directly to parents who then work with their own three, four, and five year-old children. Using the HIPPY books and curriculum, parents spend one-on-one time each day reading books with their children and teaching them school readiness skills.

HIPPY USA supports the development and operation of programs in communities across the United States through ongoing program development and technical assistance informed by research and public policy. There are currently 139 programs serving more than 15,000 children and families within the District of Columbia and 21 states.

The HIPPY program was developed in Israel in 1969 as a research and demonstration project at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to provide children from low-income families with high quality preschool education and family involvement services. HIPPY was brought to the United States in 1984 in response to the specific need for quality, effective early education, and family support models. The HIPPY model has been replicated throughout the United States and around the world. It is currently implemented in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina.

We now have HIPPY alumni, young adults who have completed the program and credit HIPPY with their career, educational and volunteer successes.