Families in a local community with preschool aged children who meet the eligibility criteria enrol in HIPPY. They receive 30 free weekly activity books and 9 free story books each year to use with their child for the HIPPY Activities.
HIPPY uses a combination of Home Visits and group meetings to support families. For example the first 4 weeks of the HIPPY program would look like this:
Week 1: The Home Tutor comes to your house for a Home Visit
Week 2: All families and Home Tutors meet together at a Group meeting.
Week 3: Home Visit
Week 4: Group meeting
Home Tutors are parents enrolled in the HIPPY program who are employed by HIPPY Moreland to support the families in the HIPPY program
Home Visits
Parents receive a visit from a HIPPY Home Tutor at the same time each fortnight. The Home Tutor sits with the parent and role plays the week’s activities to ensure parents are familiar and confident with how to do the HIPPY activities. The Home Tutor does not work with the child.
Parents then find 15 – 20 minutes per day, 5 days per week during school term time to do the activities with their child.
Group Meetings
Group meetings occur fortnightly with all parents enrolled in HIPPY come together for the HIPPY Group meeting. Parents and the Home Tutors role play a new activity book in a group with other parents. Parents then participate in an enrichment activity which may include guest speakers, visits to community facilities, craft or cooking. Children are welcome to come to the group meeting but do not have to attend
Parents then find time at home to do the HIPPY activities with their child.
HIPPY commenced as a pilot program in Israel in 1969 before being more broadly implemented in 1975. It was established in the United States in 1984 and in Australia in 1997. There are now HIPPY programs in 9 countries world wide. In 2008 there were 9 HIPPY programs in Australia including 6 in Victoria, 2 in Tasmania and 1 in New South Wales. The Federal Government has recently announced a “roll out” of additional HIPPY sites. For more information visit HIPPY International or HIPPY Australia.
MCHS commenced HIPPY in Fawkner in 2008.
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