Project Description:
The Hillsborough HIPPY Parent Involvement Project (HHPIP) is a county-wide home visiting model for caregivers of young children designed to increase school readiness and utilizes parent involvement in their childrens education. This contract funds 235 children ages 3-5 and 185 parents residing in Hillsborough County. The project has collaborative partnerships with (subcontracts) Mental Health Care, Inc. and Bible-Based Fellowship Church of Temple Terrace, Inc. It also supports the activities of the Florida HIPPY State Office located in FCIC/USF. The State Office provides administrative support, training, technical assistance, quality monitoring, advocacy, and research and evaluation support to HIPPY programs in Florida. The HIPPY curricula are focused on specific school readiness skills including visual discrimination, phonemic awareness, pre-math concepts, self-concept, creativity, problem-solving, and logical thinking, as well as active parental involvement in the learning process. HIPPY programs serve families from a variety of racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. The HIPPY program is free to parents and is delivered by HIPPY home visitors who live in the same targeted high-need communities as the families they serve. The four essential features of the HIPPY model include role playing, home visits, group meetings and a staff of home visitors. HIPPY's systematic program of role playing during home visits and group meetings is designed to engage parents in learning activities with their children and to promote the view of themselves as active agents in their children's education and schooling.
The Florida State Office conducts regional trainings for HIPPY staff, convenes coordinator's meetings, provides in-service training, publishes a state newsletter, maintains a website, holds an annual statewide conference and coordinates the State Advisory Committee. The expected benefit is a planned agenda of research and evaluation to document the influence of HIPPY on participating children and families. The program will administer parent surveys, pilot studies of child outcomes, and a longitudinal study to document the readiness of HIPPY children when they enter kindergarten.
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Urban, Specific Groups
