Strategy

Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)

What is it?

The Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a home-based educational enrichment program that supports parents of preschool-aged children. The HIPPY curriculum includes storybooks and activity books that enhance children’s cognitive, literacy, social-emotional, and physical development. Parents engage with the curriculum by role-playing the activities with the trained home visitor, allowing parents to discuss the purpose of individual activities, reflect, and develop new skills. Sessions are conducted during one-on-one weekly home visits and through HIPPY group meetings that provide new social experiences for children and parents.  

What is the evidence base?

Parents that participate in HIPPY gain confidence in their parenting practices, increase their child development knowledge, utilize effective discipline techniques, and increase the frequency and quality of activities promoting literacy and school readiness. Children that participate in HIPPY demonstrate increases in school readiness. 

• Breck, Cellini, and Batayte_2020_2019 Colorado HIPPY Evaluation
• Brown et al_2018_Home Visiting Among Inner-City Families: Links to Early Academic Achievement
• Nievar and Tucker_2019_The Effects of the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters Program on Latino Parenting Using Propensity Score Analysis