Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)

Note: The Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) was not responsive to the CEBC's request for information about their program. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources (websites, articles, etc.).

Scientific Rating:
3
Promising Research Evidence
See scale of 1-6

Relevance to Child Welfare Rating:
3
Low
See scale of 1-3

Child Welfare Outcomes: Well-Being

Brief Description:

Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) has been rated by the CEBC in the area of Home Visiting for School Readiness. HIPPY was developed in Israel in 1969 and initiated in the U.S. in 1984. The program consists of a series of reading and developmentally appropriate learning activities to help children prepare for school. Mothers are first instructed how to administer each lesson in a role-playing session with a paraprofessional. They then act as teachers for their children. The program also includes a group session in which mothers meet to receive the new materials and to share concerns and questions. Readings and activities focus on developing each child's language, verbal reasoning, and vocabulary; and also on problem-solving and classification skills.

Manual and Training section:
The publicly available information indicates that there is a manual and some training available for the HIPPY program, please contact M. Gayle Hart, National Program Director, at 501-531-7731 or mghart@hippyusa.org.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research:
Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is rated a "3-Promising Research Evidence" on the Scientific Rating Scale based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The practice must have at least one study utilizing some form of control (e.g., untreated group, placebo group, matched wait list) establishing the practice's benefit over the placebo, or found it to be comparable to or better than an appropriate comparison practice. For more information on the rating of a "3 - Promising Research Evidence," please see the Scientific Rating Scale.

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: Cohort 1 HIPPY: 16% African American, 38% Latino, 27% White, 19% Other; Cohort 1 Control: 47% African American, 28% Latino, 13% White, 22% Other. Cohort 2 HIPPY: 32% African American, 32% Latino, 21% White, 14% Other; Cohort 2 Control: 20% African American, 29% Latino, 30% White, 21% Other.
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): 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.

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
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): 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

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)
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): Children attending public schools

Location/Institution: New Zealand
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
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): 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 when determining 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

References:
Westheimer, M. (1997). Ready or not: One home-based response to the school readiness dilemma. Early Child Development and Care. 127-128.

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

Contact Information
Name: M. Gayle Hart, National Program Director
Affiliation/Agency: HIPPY USA
Phone: 501-537-7731
E-mail: mghart@hippyusa.org
Website: www.hippyusa.org

Date review compiled: April 2008