A Fun Year for HIPPY

Hillary Clinton is pictured with HIPPY officials at the

banquet inWashington, D. C. Local HIPPY representatives

attended National HIPPY Conference in the Nations

Capital last month.

Wow! This is such a busy time for us in HIPPY. We have come very near the completion of another great program year. Our year began with a brand new curriculum for our 3 year olds and it proved to a much needed change. The activities were made a little more rigorous but also more exciting. Our 4 year old curriculum will be different this upcoming program year and we are looking forward to rolling it out.

We have accomplished so much this year. We had our site visit from one of our officials in Little Rock, Arkansas in February. It was a great visit. We enjoyed having Ms. Gail Vavasseur-Jones, National Trainer for HIPPY USA, with us for 2 days. She checked to see if we were running our program in compliance with our national office and retrieved any of our creative methods or approaches that we use to share with other sites. We have this sort of visit every 2 years and there is much to do in preparation for the visit. As long as our program is running as it should be then our preparations are nothing extra or new to us.

Xyonda and Kimmora Robinson enjoy the

 HIPPY trip to the Zoo.

We were able to take our families on a field trip to the Montgomery Zoo this past April as many of our lessons would suggest that parents try doing this and one of our assessments always asks if the parents have taken their child to the zoo. It was a joy to see and hear the children’s excitement even on our bus ride. The children and the parents had a great time. We had beautiful weather too.

HIPPY has been able to help with Pre-K registration again this year and last month we were able to host Literacy Day for our Pre-K and Kindergarten classes. The children came to Central Office and were able to enjoy Don Monopoli’s Learning Station. They rocked out to silly fun songs and we took notice at how many parents, along with all of the teachers, were engrossed in the activities. Pre-K stayed the entire day and enjoyed outside activities and ended the day with popcorn and a movie. We were completely worn out by the end of our day but it was awesome seeing all of the little smiling faces.

Last week, Deltonya Warren, Director of Instruction and HIPPY, Brenita Williams, HIPPY Coordinator, and Catherine Chapman, HIPPY Assistant Coordinator was able to attend the National HIPPY Conference in Washington, DC. We were celebrating 25 years of having a national office in the US and Hillary Clinton came to join us in our celebration as she was our guest speaker for the Avima Lombard Awards Banquet and she helped to present the award to this year’s winner Judy Gibson who has worked with HIPPY in Arkansas for 24 years. Our State Director, Joanne Shum, had been nominated for the award as well and has done so much for HIPPY in the state of Alabama. Though we were disappointed that she did not receive the award we also realize there are many worthy to receive this honored award. Mrs. Shum will always have the vote of here programs here in Alabama.

On Wednesday, while we were still in DC we were able to go to the capital and meet with our state’s political leaders. We were privileged to meet with Representative Martha Roby who sat with us and asked what she could do for our program. We felt very welcomed with her.

We had some great training while in DC but our trip had to come to an end and we had to get back to Eufaula, Alabama to finish up our program year. We are planning our graduation celebration now as we only have a couple weeks left. If you have a child age 3-5 years old, would like to give your child an edge in education and life and would like to come have fun with us next year please feel free to come and fill out an application at 333 State Docks Road. Enrollment is first come first serve and we will start back up again in late September. If you have any questions you can call 687-1100 ext 152 Monday through Friday from 8-2:45pm.

HIPPY prepares youngsters for school

     Over the past two years you may have seen several articles about a wonderful program here in the Eufaula City School System that serves parents of children 3-5 years old. You may have seen a flyer that came home with one of your children from school or seen flyers around town at doctor's offices, daycares, the Health Department, and various other businesses. You may even know of someone that is or has participated in this program over the past 6 years and yet I bet many are asking themselves right now what is this program. Let me give you a little more background before I give you the name or affirm the answer you may be thinking. We are a kindergarten readiness program which means we give parents the tools they may not have or thought they possessed to get their children ready for their life of education. We empower the parents with the reminder that they are ultimately their child's first teacher and should always remain an active participant in the educating of their child.

 

         Deltonya Warren, our director and also the Director of Instruction with the Eufaula City School System exclaims often to us that "every good and perfect gift comes from above and our children are good and perfect gifts." They are for us to treasure and it is ours to model the things that are good that we want for our children.

 

        Our program takes one hour for one of our staff to deliver the materials and lesson and then one hour a week for you, the parent, to do it with your own child for a total of two hours a week. That is not too much to ask of any parent to spend with their "good and perfect gift."

 

       We have awesome group meetings once a month where we bring in the families for a light meal and do crafts, have visits from special guests, and learn valuable information to help us in our homes. In November we met, had Thanksgiving dinner together and while the children played, the parents heard from Traci Murph, Wallace Instructor, about making literacy come to life. In December we participated in the local parade and then met for a group meeting at which we ate a light meal, some of which was provided by Willy T's, had a visit from HIPPY P, our state mascot, and the children visited with Santa and did various crafts. At both of these meetings we gave away a door prize of a Nabi Jr. tablet that could be used as awesome presents for Christmas to their child. As an extra incentive for our parents to keep their appointments we have a Pizza Patrol where we take a pizza dinner to the family whose name was drawn from all of the families that have kept all of their appointments for 4 or more weeks. Children are getting a great jumpstart on their education and they are seeing how important learning is to their parents by their participation and we are giving bonus reasons to keep our families focused.  

 

     Are you ready to check your answer? If you were thinking that we are the HIPPY program you would be correct. HIPPY is the acronym for Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters. Yes, we are a working program. Nothing of great value comes without a price. We provide this program to our families free of charge but they work for the enjoyment they see on their child's face. As their children excel in school they will know they truly had an active part in that success. Don't we all want our children to have every great opportunity to succeed? Isn't our goal to see our children go far beyond what we ever dreamed? If you have a child from the age of 3-5 and you want to make sure that your child has the edge in education and success then our program is for you. We will begin in February taking applications for next school year and if you're interested feel free to call 687-1100 ext. 152 or come by our office on State Docks Rd, Monday - Friday from 8:00AM-2:00PM. We look forward to working with you.

Eufaula City Schools-HIPPY program is back in the groove of things with pre-testing, home visits and group meetings. HIPPY which is the acronym for Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters is a free educational program that we bring to the parent at their convenience. It is a program designed for parents that have children ages 3-5 years old in the home. If you are a grandparent, Aunt or Uncle that is responsible for the care of a child within this age range, you qualify too. Studies show that children who have participated in the HIPPY program are better students, with better study habits, better grades, better test scores and higher graduation rate. This means better jobs for those participants and a better community.

On Thursday night, October 17^th we had our first group meeting of the year where our participating families came to central office, and, while the children were busy playing and earning prizes with the wonderful ladies from Christ Child Circle the parents were enjoying a comical skit of a mock role play, starring Jeanette Anglin, Shantell Jackson and Alma Bludsworth and can be found on our HIPPY Facebook page. At the end of the meeting we announced our lucky door prize winner which was Jennifer Darby who had won a TAG reader along with a 6 book pack for her child. Our door prizes come from grant monies provided by Wal-Mart and MEAD Westvaco and will only get better.

Group meetings are meant to enrich our families and upon filling out the enrollment application, our parents are surveyed to see what kind of enrichment activities they would like to have. Our first one is always an orientation to the program and we served light refreshments. We have several grand activities in the planning and it is our family participation that makes each one successful.

Each of our participating families receives about 34 home visits a year from trained Home Visitors or Parent Educators. They bring a structured curriculum, along with all of the materials needed to carry out the activities, and they work with the parents for one hour. These visits empower the parent, and remind them that they are their child’s first teacher. Together, we all become one great big family. We all share a common bond and that is the fact that their child’s education is the utmost important task and by working together we secure their futures and ours.

Our HIPPY program is brought to the Barbour County community through the Eufaula City School System. We are able to serve all of Eufaula and a portion of Clayton at this time. This program is in its 6^th year and continues to grow and make its mark in the school system. We are also proud to be serving our Hispanic community in their own Spanish language. The teachers will tell us that within a couple of weeks they can tell which of their children are or have been in the HIPPY program. That is wonderful news to us.

As always we are very grateful for the great support that we get from our Participants, surrounding businesses, partnerships and the community as a whole. Together we can make a difference. Together we can change the world by helping one family at a time.

HIPPY Alabama

Luau Graduation 2013

Thanks to great support from the community, outstanding parents, wonderful children and a hard working staff we had 70 children complete the 2012-2013 HIPPY program with Eufaula City Schools. On May 18^th we had a Luau Graduation where our participating families came to see their children receive their books of completion that included their certificates and afterwards were able to enjoy outdoor fun and a good meal of hamburgers and hotdogs. It was a cloudy day and had even rained a little but it was not enough to put a damper on the mood or the activities. Everything went on as planned and everyone enjoyed themselves.

We are grateful for the volunteers that helped this activity to be such a success. We had volunteers from Christ Child Circle that helped supply paper goods and served the meal. We had a few volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that helped with set up and take down. Jaxon and Jordan Chapman cooked 168 hotdogs and 128 hamburgers. We are also very grateful for the businesses in the community that donated items or gift certificates to be placed into our special prize pack to be given to a parent that kept all of her appointments without cancellation for the last 10 weeks. Donations were a rotate and balance from Hendon Tire, a cake from Tisa’s, a $25 gift certificate from Piggly Wiggly, $20 in gift cards from Winn Dixie, a $10 gift certificate to Cajun Corner, a windchime from Tractor Supply, and a 5 pack of flash lights from Marvins. The parent that won this great prize pack was Helen Comer.

As we were cleaning up we had family members that were asking if they could donate their time next year as they had no more children to put through the program. There were also family members that wanted to know if they could make monetary donations. We are always glad to accept help in building up our community. HIPPY gives our children the tools they need to succeed in school and it gives families a stronger bond and a bigger investment in their children’s educations.

We are currently taking applications for our 2013-2014 program year to begin in September. These applications can be filled out at Central Office located on 333 State Docks Rd., Monday –Thursday.  If you have a child that will be 3, 4, or 5 years old by September 1, 2013 and are interested in joining our HIPPY family we ask that you do not procrastinate enrolling you child as spots are limited. This will be a first come first serve enrollment. Each year our program gets better and better. We are here to serve you and your family.

2013 Alabama State HIPPY Conference

On March 13^th we began our State HIPPY Conference in Montgomery, Alabama with a stop at the Statehouse. Many of the HIPPY sites across the State had made baskets loaded with goodies and letters from families within our programs for their Senators and State Representatives. We made baskets for Senator Beasley and Representative Forte. We were unable to see Senator Beasley but enjoyed our visit with Forte as you can see in the picture. HIPPY sites make this visit every year to show our appreciation for those that support our programs and to try and rustle up new supporters.

Once we left the Statehouse we went to our conference location to stay until Friday afternoon. Much planning went into this conference as it was most enjoyable; refreshing and renewed in us the sense of dedication we need in order to make our programs and our families so much more successful. We had workshops on Bullying, Building Vocabulary, Early Math Experiences, Why Early Education Matters, The Development of Oral Language, and Reading: Building the Foundation and we received updates on the current Legislative Issues from Rep. Joe Hubbard. There were a couple of sessions where we were all able to share the great things we have done within our own programs so that we may receive new ideas from each other that may help us in improving our successes.

On Thursday we had a luncheon to honor HIPPY Heroes. To our great delight we were privileged to hear Kindergarten students from Wetumpka Elementary sing to us “I like School” and “We Appreciate You.” After that we listened a little girl (current HIPPY child) spoke to us about what she has learned and then we heard from her mother and how the HIPPY program has made a difference in her life. She let us know that HIPPY means Hope. Our Keynote speaker was the Honorable Sue Bell Cobb, first female Chief Justice in Alabama. She praised HIPPY for the great work the program is doing in giving hope to the families we serve. After Mrs. Cobb spoke to us it was then time to honor our HIPPY Heroes. This year two of our very own were nominated for the award, Mrs. Deltonya Warren, Director of instruction/HIPPY for the Eufaula City School System and Catherine Chapman, Assistant Coordinator for the HIPPY Program.

Friday ended with our Site awards. Proudly our program received many awards. We were given awards for Creativity, Outreach, Public Relations, VIP Home Visits, Community Collaboration, Going the Extra Mile, Big Ideas, ETO Extraordinary Efforts, Johnny on the Spot, Good Neighbor, and Most Creative Group Meeting just to name a few. Our program received 15 in all.

HIPPY is truly an amazing program and Eufaula is blessed to have such a program. Our team is dedicated and wants to be able to serve all of the families in the area with children aged 3-5. Don’t let this program be Eufaula’s best kept secret. We are here and ready to serve. Spread the word to your neighbors and friends. We are now taking applications for next fall. If your child will be 3-5 years old by September 1, 2013 and you are interested in helping your child be all he or she can be then we are here to help. If you would like more information please feel free to call 687-1100 ext. 152 or come by the office on 333 State Docks Rd. We are here to serve you and your family.

 

 

Some stats for 2012/2013:

No. of HIPPY Site in Alabama      30

No. of Coordinators                        32

No. of Parent Educators                                151

No. of Children Served in 30 Counties     1778

No. of Home Visits                          56,896

No. of Total Miles Driven              922,984

Percentage of Parents Who Gave HIPPY an ‘A’   96%

Percentage of Parents Who Said HIPPY Was Useful          96%

 

Alabama Power Visits HIPPY from the Eufaula Tribune

     Two representitives from Alabama Power presented an electrical safety demonstration for HIPPY families on January 31. They showd parents the dangers of electrical boxes and downed power lines, and gave out a coloring book to the children.
     The parents enjoyed this demonstration and were able to get many questions answered. Alabama Power also gave parents handouts on how to avoid scams claiming to be from the power company.
     While the parents were watching the demonstration, the children enjoyed craft making with several of the students from Wallace Community College's Early Childhood Development classes in Eufaula. The students read a story and helped the kids make snowmen and penguins.
      "The students from Wallace Community College did a great job and our children realy enjoyed tem,"said Catherine Chapman of HIPPY.

      "This was a great night for volunteers because we also had a few ladies from Christ Child Circle here to help us in serving a meal to our families. Christ Child Cirlce has been a great organization to help with our HIPPY activities. We are grateful for our partnership with them and all of the help they give from month to month.





        The group's next meeting will be combined with a workshop that the Eufaula City Schools system planned for February 26 at 6:00 p. m. in the central office boardroom.