The HIPPY program

A primary goal of Home Instruction for Parents and Preschool Youngsters is to prepare children for long-term academic success, beginning in kindergarten. It has been particularly useful in low-literacy households with limited economic means.

Families are instructed in the home by visiting trainers who provide literacy and numeracy exercises for children between the ages of 3 and 7.

Research suggests that participation in HIPPY has been a catalyst for improved school readiness in diverse countries around the world and has effects on later academic achievement. Studies document benefits for young children with both immediate and longer-term impact. Parents’ increased involvement in their children’s education is also indicated.

FOL trained early childhood educators over 14 years after the civil war in Liberia. Trainers realized there were many challenges to getting children to read on schedule. Chief among them was low-literacy and poor reading habits in the home environment. Even teachers are not confident readers and schools are further challenged by the absence of reading material and the size of classes.

An FOL Education Working Group researched many approaches over a year in which Liberian schools were closed due to the Ebola crisis. Early on, they decided that a family-based approach would address two generations at once and very likely more than one child in a household. They found in HIPPY International a willing partner with a model that has proven effective in many cultures where low literacy prevails.

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