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Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)

Scientific Rating:
2
Supported by Research Evidence
See scale of 1-5
Child Welfare Relevance Level:
Medium

See descriptions of 3 levels

Brief Description

The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. The Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program has been rated by the CEBC in the area of: Home Visiting for Child Well-Being.

  • Types of Maltreatment: Does not target any specific kind of maltreatment
  • Target Population: Parents who have young children and have limited formal education and resources.

HIPPY is a home-based and parent-involved school readiness program that helps parents prepare their children ages three to five years old for success in school and beyond. The parent is provided with a set of carefully developed curriculum, books, and materials designed to strengthen their child’s cognitive and early literacy skills, as well as their social, emotional, and physical development.

The HIPPY Curriculum contains 30 weekly activity packets, a set of storybooks, and a set of 20 manipulative shapes for each year. In addition to these basic materials, supplies such as scissors and crayons are provided for each participating family. The program uses trained coordinators and community-based home visitors who go into the home. These coordinators and home visitors role-play the activities with the parents and support each family throughout its participation in the program.

HIPPY believes that parents play a critical role in their children’s education. The HIPPY program seeks to support parents who may not feel sufficiently confident to prepare their children for school, and is designed to remove barriers to participation in education. HIPPY’s primary goal is to increase vulnerable children’s success in school and, ultimately, in life.

Essential Components

  • Essential elements of the HIPPY model include the developmentally appropriate curriculum, role play as the method of instruction, staff consisting of coordinators and home visitors, and parent engagement through home visits and group meetings.
  • Parent and child educational interactions encouraged through the use of the HIPPY curriculum.
  • Designed to support parents with limited formal education.
  • Scripted curriculum that serves as a lesson plan for parents.
  • Curriculum based on exposure to skills, rather than mastery.

Child Component

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) was designed with a child component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

  • Limited exposure to reading readiness skills.

Age range: 3 – 5

Developmental Delays:

This program was not developed for children with developmental delays, and has not been tested for children with developmental delays.

Parent / Caregiver Component

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) was designed with a parent/caregiver component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

  • Low literacy level.
  • Limited English proficiency.

Group Format

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) was not designed to be conducted in a group setting, and has not been tested for use in a group setting.

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

  • Adoptive Home
  • Birth Family Home
  • Foster Home

Homework

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) includes a homework component:

In the sessions, curriculum is role played between the parent and the home visitor. For homework, the parent role plays the curriculum with his/her own child. There are also extension activities to complete, if desired.

Languages

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) has materials available in a language other than English:

Spanish

HIPPY International is also in the following countries:

  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Canada
  • Denmark
  • Germany
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa
  • Switzerland

The contact person is for HIPPY International is:

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

  • Office space, furniture and basic furnishing, and a computer.
  • Family engagement is primarily conducted in the child's home setting, but administrative functions occur in the office.
  • Supplies that are not always commonly found in a home setting are provided by the program, such as coffee stirrers, sand paper, screws, etc.
  • Group meetings are held in the program office or community settings, such as a church, school, community center, etc.

Minimum Provider Qualifications

The home visitors live in the community they serve and work with the same group of parents for three years. They receive comprehensive on-going training to well equip them to serve their assigned families effectively. The training also encourages them to seek further education. Many home visitors earn degrees in early childhood education. Educational requirements are established by the implementing agency and are usually a high school diploma or GED. Home visitors must be able to read in and speak the language of the families they serve.

The coordinator, who trains the home visitors and oversees the local program, is required to have the minimum of a Bachelor's degree.

Education and Training Resources

There is a manual that describes how to implement this program, and there is training available for this program.

Training Contact:
Training is obtained:

National: Coordinator pre-service and national conference

Regional: State office sponsored trainings

Local: Home visitor pre-service and during other on-site visits from a national trainer

Number of days/hours:

5-day new coordinator pre-service training in August, Biennial National conference (in-service), 3 days, initial site visits.

Additional Resources:

There currently are additional qualified resources for training:

In addition, there are five state directors that can be identified through the national office.

Implementation Information

Since Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is highly rated on the Scientific Rating Scale, information was requested from the program representative on available pre-implementation assessments, implementation tools, and/or fidelity measures.

Show implementation information...

Pre-Implementation Assessments

To be given to organizations or providers in order to measure organizational or individual readiness:

The Start-Up Manual, includes the following checklist for application guidelines:

  • Cover sheet with general information
  • General statement of need
  • Organizational and administrative structure
  • Initial programmatic decisions
  • Additional support for program and families
  • Research and evaluation
  • Letter(s) of support

For the full checklist and the Start-Up Manual, please contact: M. Gayle Hart (mghart@hippyusa.org).

Implementation Tools — for the program (e.g., implementation guides or manuals)

  • A pre-service training guide provided to coordinators setting up a HIPPY program. A week-long training is also provided. This training is mandatory for all new coordinators.
  • A series of HIPPY Excellence Manuals (Management and Supervision; Training; Model Guidance and Accreditation) is also provided. Together, these manuals provide the coordinator with information on set up, minimum standards, guidance, management, implementation, and assessment of a program.
  • Home visitor's receive a Home Visitor's Guide for working with the curriculum and the parents. Training is provided to the home visitor and is mandatory as well.

For further information about the manuals, please contact: M. Gayle Hart (mghart@hippyusa.org).

Fidelity Measures

HIPPY Excellence: Model Guidance and Accreditation provides comprehensive program assessment regarding fidelity to the model. The ETO (Efforts to Outcomes) web-based data collection system is used for qualitative and quantitative evaluation.

For further information on these measures, please contact: Lia Lent (llent@hippyusa.org).

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

This program is rated a "2 - Supported by Research Evidence" on the Scientific Rating Scale based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The practice must have at least one rigorous randomized controlled trial with a sustained effect of at least 6 months. Please see the Scientific Rating Scale for more information.

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being

Show relevant research...

Baker, A. J. L., Piotrkowski, C. S., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1998). The effects of the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) on children’s school performance at the end of the program and one year later. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 13(4), 571-588.

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial in two separate cohorts
Number of Participants: Cohort 1: 69, Cohort 2: 113

Population:

  • Age range — 3.1 to 3.8 on average across groups
  • Race/Ethnicity — Each group in both Cohorts included participants who were African American, Latino, White, and Other races/ethnicities. A detailed breakout can be found in the paper.
  • Gender — Not Specified
  • Status — Families enrolled in the sponsoring agencies pre-kindergarten program.

Location / Institution: New York State

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Families were randomly assigned to HIPPY or to a control group. Children’s cognitive skills were assessed at baseline using the Cooperative Preschool Inventory (CPI). Family demographics were also collected using the National Evaluation Information System. Following the program children were reassessed with the CPI and also on the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT), a standardized test completed in kindergarten. Adaptation to the classroom was assessed with teacher ratings on the Child Classroom Adaptation Index (CCAI), which included evaluations of enjoyment of learning, attention, self-direction, and motivation and readiness to learn. At one-year follow-up in the first grade, performance was assessed with school records and repeat assessment with the CCAI. Researchers note that Cohort 1 was significantly older than Cohort 2 and scored higher on the CPI at baseline. Results showed that in Cohort 1 children in the HIPPY group showed higher on the CPI and classroom adaptation at the end of the program and higher on a standardized reading test and on classroom adaptation at the end of 1-year follow-up. However, no differences were found between intervention and control groups in Cohort II.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: 1 year.

Barhava-Monteith, G., Harre, N., & Field, J. (1999). A promising start: An evaluation of the HIPPY program in New Zealand. Early Child Development and Care, 159, 145-157.

Type of Study: Non-equivalent control group
Number of Participants: Study 1, 781; Study 2, 58, Study 3, 57 from Study 2 and an additional 47 comparison children

Population:

  • Age range — 5-6 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — 50% Pacific Islander, 40% Maori, 10% European descent (Study 2 only)
  • Gender — Not Specified
  • Status — Children attending public schools

Location / Institution: Not Specified

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
In study 1, scores were compared for children who attended HIPPY and children in the same schools on two reading tests: the Reading Diagnostic Survey, which assesses need for remedial reading tuition and the BURT Word Reading test which assesses word recognition. HIPPY children scored higher on all subscales and this difference was significant for concepts about print, the word test, and the BURT mean. In Study 2, children who had been attending school for 6 months received the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT). HIPPY children scored higher on all subscales assessing school readiness, but the differences were not statistically significant. In Study 3, the same HIPPY and comparison children as in study two, plus an additional comparison group consisting of all available remaining children in that school were assessed on the Behavioral Academic Self-Esteem Scale (BASE) which measures classroom behavior as observed by teachers. Both HIPPY and original comparison group children had higher scores than the additional comparison group. The authors suggest that the original comparison group may have had a selection bias.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: Study 1 - 1 year, Studies 2 & 3 - 6 months

Van Tuijl, C., Leseman, P. M., & Rispens, J. (2001). Efficacy of an intensive home-based educational intervention programme for 4- to 6-year-old ethnic minority children in the Netherlands. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 25(2), 148-159.

Type of Study: Pretest/Postest with non-equivalent control group
Number of Participants: Intervention: 123 Turkish, 85 Moroccan; Control: 62 Turkish, 62 Moroccan.

Population:

  • Age range — 4-5 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Turkish and Moroccan
  • Gender — Not Specified
  • Status — Families with parents born in Turkey or Morocco, with fewer than 10 years of formal education.

Location / Institution: The Netherlands

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Note: Because this study assesses a program based on HIPPY, but using a different curriculum, it was not included in the Scientific Rating. Families were recruited for the intervention and matched with a comparison group on age, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. At baseline children were assessed on IQ, Dutch language and native language vocabulary. At the conclusion of the program, they were tested on semantic-taxonomic, logo-mathematical, and number concepts, as well as on conservation and seriation skill. A test of numeracy and early mathematical competence was also given. The vocabulary tests in native language and Dutch were repeated. For Turkish children, those who had the program scored significantly higher on ordering concepts and general cognition and on emergent numeracy. There were no group differences for the Moroccan children.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: None.

Bradley, R. H., & Gilkey, B. (2002). The impact of the Home Instructional Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) on school performance in 3rd and 6th Grades. Early Education and Development, 13(3), 301-311.

Type of Study: Post hoc matched comparison group
Number of Participants: 516 HIPPY, 516 Comparison group

Population:

  • Age range — 3rd and 6th grade children
  • Race/Ethnicity — 32.2% African American, 65.2% European American
  • Gender — Not Specified
  • Status — Children attending public schools

Location / Institution: Arkansas

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Children who had received the HIPPY program prior to entering elementary school were matched with current classmates, some of whom had other preschool experience. Children were assessed on 1) school attendance, 2) Official actions (e.g., suspension, assignment to special education services), 3) grade in math, reading, language arts, 4) standardized test scores, and 5) student behavior obtained from teachers on a short version of the Child Classroom Adaptation Inventory. There were no group differences in attendance. HIPPY children had fewer suspensions than the subgroup of comparison children who had other preschool experience. HIPPY children performed better in reading and language arts and had higher math grades than children with no preschool experience. The authors note that the effect sizes of differences in grade point average were small. On standardized tests, HIPPY students performed better in reading and language arts than the comparison groups, and had higher math scores than students with other preschool experience. Teachers rated HIPPY students higher on academic achievement than those with no preschool experience and higher on overall adjustment than both comparison groups. The authors caution that the lack of true experimental design could mean that differences were due to a selection bias across the HIPPY, other preschool and no preschool children, which could account for differences.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: 4 to 7 years after completion of HIPPY.

Nievar, M. A., Jacobson, A., Chen, Q., Johnson, U., & Dier, S. (2011). Impact of HIPPY on home learning environments of Latino families. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 268-277.

Type of Study: Pretest/post-test with control group (two separate cohorts)
Number of Participants: Cohort 1: 108 Cohort 2: 131

Population:

  • Age range — 3 to 4 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Hispanic
  • Gender — Not Specified
  • Status — Families enrolled in the sponsoring agencies pre-Kindergarten program.

Location / Institution: Southwest United States

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
The study evaluated the effectiveness of a public school-administered HIPPY program which served mostly low-income, Latino Spanish-speaking families. Cohort 1 was evaluated against a waitlist control group, while Cohort 2 was compared to a sample of students with similar demographics.  Parents completed the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), Parental Involvement and Efficacy, Center for Epidemiological Survey-Depression (CES-D), a demographic survey, and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME). A third-grade follow-up of children in the program showed significantly higher math achievement when compared to low-income Latino third graders in the same school district. Intervention participation predicted more cognitive stimulation in the home environment, even when controlling for contextual factors unrelated to the intervention. Furthermore, mothers in the HIPPY program developed more parenting efficacy than those in the comparison group as they carried out the parent-as-teacher role. Limitations include the lack of randomization and the use of de-identified school records which preventing matching records to individual subjects.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: 3 years.

References

Lombard, A. (1981). Success begins at home. Lexington, MA: Heath.

Westheimer, M. (1997). Ready or not: One home-based response to the school readiness dilemma. Early Child Development and Care, 127(1), 245-257.

Contact Information

Name: Lia Lent
Agency/Affiliation: HIPPY USA
Website: www.hippyusa.org
Email:
Phone: (501) 537-7727
Fax: (501) 537-7716

Date Reviewed: June 2011 (originally reviewed in April 2008)