Testimonials from 2011-2012

Esmeralda Tejeda wrote in her letter about the Eufaula HIPPY Program:

“This is my son’s 3^rd year in the HIPPY program and even though I don’t speak English I can say that we learned some words to share with the activities that are in the books and pages. We have learned much together and I want to give thanks for the opportunity given.”

Nina Williams states:

“Since he has become involved in the program, he has developed an increase desire for learning and reading. …and has developed a greater sense of autonomy from the program as well.”

As a teacher of prekindergarten of 8 years Ms. Williams tells us “the students that participate in the program exhibit a greater sense of awareness and enthusiasm for learning.”

Ms. Helen Comer, grandmother of 2 children in HIPPY writes:

“I am a new member of the HIPPY family and have enjoyed every minute of it. It has given me extra fun time with my children. It has been comfort seeing my children interact with togetherness… while they are doing their exercises. I look forward to seeing Melody each week to go over the activities.

It makes me remember my days when I was in school.”

Terrolyn Diggs Sates:

“I have been in HIPPY with my son since he was 3 years old. HIPPY has made my child an advance reader in his class. HIPPY is a great program and I feel all parents should take advantage of this program.”

My HIPPY Experience

To work as an Assistant Coordinator or Coordinator for HIPPY one must attend Pre-Service which is a 5 day learning experience. Before attending pre-service I knew very little about HIPPY other than it stood for Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters. I attended my pre-service August 8th-12th, 2011 and I learned quickly that my job, if done correctly, could help change lives. If I would do my job in the way I was being trained while in Little Rock, Arkansas I would be able to make a difference in other people's lives. A great deal of information is fed to us in this 5 day process. I soaked in the information like a sponge. When I go into something I go into it whole heartily and give it more than my all. I could tell by the classes that I was taking I would need every little bit of the information and then some to be successful and have an outstanding program. I met some really great people there and learned from awesome teachers. On the last night of our training we were all taken to dinner where we were the entertainment. We all had to participate in a talent show. I decided to do a poem that I had written while there.

My HIPPY Experience

I left Alabama

     and the ones I hold dear.

I came to this place

    and found nice people here.

I have learned a new Model.

    I have learned to Role Play

I have learned to help others

    in such a new way.

I am really sire now

    that a village indeed

Is what our children will have

    so they can truly succeed.

For this I now see

    and come what may

I have been instructed

    by HIPPY USA!

I know that I will always remember my experience of going to Little Rock and my love for my job will only continue to grow. I have watched as children grew in our program this year. We helped foster a love for learning. I watched children with speech problems excel and become above level readers and their speech get better. I also watched as children became closer to their parents as their parents took an active role in their education. In HIPPY we are changing the world one child at a time!

I can honestly say that I love my job!!! I love the HIPPY program and the fact that it teaches parents how to be effective teachers and guides in their own children's learning experiences. I love that it expresses the importance of family involvement.

Improvements have been made and now anyone may leave their feedback to this blog site. I still reserve the right as to whether or not your comments are posted as I must maintain the integrity of our program. Please feel free to make your comments as we can always learn from each other.

Random group meetings

3 generations-Ruby as grandma, Hattie as mom, and Amire' as daughter

Christy and Viktoria

April group meeting

Santa comes to visit

Alma Bludsworth, Bilingual Home Visitor Translating for our speaker

Krystal and Royal

Vanessa Martz, Psychology Professor from Wallace Community College
Speaking to parents about Early Childhood Development and Positive Discipline

Alma Bludsworth, Home Visitor and Jeanette Anglin, Home Visitor with Santa

Vargas Family

More graduation pictures 6/2/2012

Alyssa and Kayla were presented their certificates by their uncle, PFC Stephen Smith



Angelica, Diana, and David



Chrysten

Nadia

3,4, and 5 year olds completing 2011-2012

We Knew We Could-HIPPY Graduation 6/2/12

June 2, 2012 marked the finish line for our HIPPY families that have completed 30 weeks of curriculum with their children. For some of our families we are well aware that the finish line just seemed so far away. Some changed jobs and had to undergo schedule changes for their home visits while there were others that had new additions to their families and lost loved ones during the 30 weeks, along with other family crisises. We gathered together as family and friends and shared in this great accomplishment. We had 60 children to complete the program and as their reward we had a nice program where we presented them with certificates, a meal and then they were able to run through the obstacle course and take rides on the train. The children had a blast and the parents enjoyed seeing their children happy. Thanks to some of the local businesses we were able to give out some gift cards and gift certificates to Wal-Mart, Willy T’s, El Jalisco, River City Grill/Bar B Que, Cajun Corner, and Phil’s Bar B Que. This was a great treat for the parents that had their names drawn. The total count for children, parents and guests was 197 in attendance. We are also pleased to announce that we had 9 children to complete two or more years of the program to graduate completely out. This shows great dedication.

One really great highlight was that we had a special guest to present to two of our little girls. We had Private First Class Stephen Smith that had just gotten back from his five week tour in Korea to present to his nieces Kayla and Alyssa Smith. We hid him behind the curtains on the stage until he was announced and the girls loved it. Kayla and Alyssa had no idea he was coming let alone that he was even there. We were able to publically thank him for his service to our country and for helping to keep us safe. Twenty-five year old PFC Smith, from Bakerhill and graduate from Dixie Academy, joined the army 15 months ago and is stationed in Hawaii. Since joining the army, he has only seen his nieces twice.

Other news on the program comes from my trip to Montgomery on May 24th for a HIPPY Heros Luncheon. At that meeting our program was presented with 10 awards: Most Improved Program, The Accreditaion Award, The ETO Extrodinary Efforts Award, The PR Award, The Big Idea Award, The Remarkable Attendance and Innovative Group Meeting Award, The Community Collaboration Award, The Active and Involved Advisory Board Award, Going the Extra Mile Award, and the INOW Award. While there we were pleased to hear from a little six year old girl that has been through the program. She spoke to us and read her speech as if she were very much older. She did an extrodinary job and she is also an illustrator for a book that the state office has called HIPPY P, HIPPY P. Then we were blessed to hear an elementary school choir sing to us. There were superintendents and some of our state representatives present. Some were even named HIPPY Hero of the year. The state leaders were brought to the front to the tune of the Lone Ranger and were given white ten gallon hats to wear. I believe it was Jay Love and Tripp Pittman but I do not have my book with me right now.

Our program has come so far in less than a year and we have bigger goals ahead. We want to continue this forward trek that we are on and continue to grow. We thank all that have supported us along the way.

Find us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Hippy-USA-Eufaula-Alabama/107353069367858

HIPPY and what it means to children and parents

HIPPY USA video to show what HIPPY does for families

Children must master a number of skills prior to entering Kindergarten. Parents are perhaps the best teachers to develop these skills at an early age, certainly prior to school age. However, not every parent is equipped with the necessary skill set to prepare their child. Some parents have the best intentions, but may be missing the tools to prepare their child for school. HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) (http://www.hippyalabama.com/) is a program that aids parents in making their child ready for school. HIPPY has been serving parents and children ages three, four, and five since 1993 in the State of Alabama.

HIPPY helps parents prepare their children for school by teaching them knowledge of letters, shapes, colors, and motor skills. Each week, a parent educator visits the home and brings a packet of lessons, books, and enrichment materials. Parents do the teaching, and parent educators model important instructional behaviors to them. The HIPPY program consists of 30 weeks of lessons. (Alexander T. Vazsonyi, 2008)
 Proven Results
HIPPY is firmly based in research. First tried, tested, and shaped by researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel in the 1960s and 1970s, HIPPY has been implemented and studied in countries around the world, from New Zealand to Turkey to the United States. Results of these studies demonstrate that HIPPY benefits children, parents, and home visitors.

Effects on Children

1. The HIPPY pilot program and a follow up study of children at the end of second grade found overall positive effects of participation in HIPPY for school achievement compared to children who were randomly assigned to a control group or a group who received teacher instruction.

2. In Arkansas, where HIPPY is offered state wide, children who participated in HIPPY for at least one year outscored their peers on reading, math, and language arts achievement tests, had higher classroom grades, were less likely than their peers to have been suspended, and had better classroom behavior ratings from their teachers through the 6th grade.

3. This quasi-experimental study found that children who had the HIPPY program for two years were better adjusted according to their teachers and had higher grades in language and reading that lasted through both third and sixth grades than children in other preschool programs.

4. A New Orleans study demonstrated benefits of HIPPY through the 7th grade in attendance, academic performance, social skills, and low suspension rates.
5. After participating in HIPPY for a year, more children were performing at or above their age level on standardized vocabulary tests, which are related to success in school.

6. In New York HIPPY children scored higher than comparison and control group children on reading, standardized tests of cognitive skills, and adapting to the classroom. In Arkansas, more HIPPY children were promoted to first grade and adapted well to the classroom. It should be noted that in both states, these findings did not hold for a second group of children most likely because parents were not as involved in the program.

7. In Colorado HIPPY children had higher grades in reading, math, and social studies than their classmates.

8. In New Zealand, HIPPY children consistently performed better on a standardized reading test than children who did not participate in HIPPY, which probably reduced their need for remedial reading services later.

9. In Israel, a teacher surveyed about the value of HIPPY said: “You can tell at once who is in it (HIPPY) and who is not. There’s a huge gap between a child in the program and one who isn’t.”
10. Another teacher said: “There’s a three-and-a-half year old girl in the preschool. Once when I was just talking she was the only one to know the answer to a difficult question. I asked her, ‘How did you know that?’ She said that her mother teaches her in the HIPPY program.”

Effects on Parents

1. Parents report that they read to their children more, tell them stories, and teach them letters, words, and numbers more than parents report in the National House- hold Education Survey, the largest survey of parents in the United States.

2. In 4 different locations across Texas, the majority of HIPPY parents report reading and telling stories to their children up to four hours a week, having children’s books at home, and encouraging their children to read and write. Nine of every 10 parents said they became more aware of the importance of reading as a result of participating in HIPPY.

3. Parents report they spend more time reading to their children, more time talking with them about books, more time teaching them the alphabet, and that they have more knowledge about the way young children grow and learn.

4. Spanish-speaking parents said they changed the way they parent after participating in HIPPY and now have regular times and places so they can work on learning activities with their children at home, making HIPPY and especially important tool for the fast growing number of Spanish-speaking parents and their children.

5. Parents report being involved in their children’s education, working with their children at home on HIPPY materials, reading books together, and also connecting with their children’s schools.

6. Over 800 parents across Florida reported that HIPPY made them more aware of the importance of reading to their child and 8 of 10 say they read more to their child since joining HIPPY.
7. Nine of 10 parents with children who are now in school say thanks to HIPPY they check to see if their children finish their homework every day or every week.

8. HIPPY parents report that their experiences in the program have improved their communications with their children and helped them feel more confident as parents.

9. In Colorado Teachers rated HIPPY parents significantly higher for attending teacher- parent conferences and other school events when compared to other parents in their fifth grade classrooms.

10. In Israel teachers reported that HIPPY helps the parents. “They (HIPPY parents) show more interest in their children and what happens in the preschool, and even come sit with them in class and do some activities.” (Lisa Klein, 2010)