BY AMANDA PEVEY
SPECIAL TO THE ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
The FREE HIPPY program that’s provided by the Elmore County Schools Board of Education is now accepting families with preschoolers between the ages of 2-5.
HIPPY stands for Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters
To quality, the children and their families must reside in Elmore County.
HIPPY partners with parents to prepare their kids for kindergarten in the comforts of their own home. HIPPY will provide parents with lessons and the supplies. They will have both virtual and actual lessons available this year.
HIPPY has been funded to serve 90 children this school year and the registration is filling up fast.
To register, you can email the parent’s name, address, phone number, email address, child’s name and date of birth to maryann.forelle@elmoreco.com, or call the number at 334-567-1200 ext. 24009 for more information.
The HIPPY program is looking forward to working with you and your family this school year.
Remember, this program is completely FREE for participating families.
More about HIPPY:
Federal Programs – HIPPY
Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters
From Maryann Forelle
HIPPY COORDINATOR
Welcome to the HIPPY Website of the Elmore County Public School System. My name is Maryann Forelle, and it is my pleasure to serve as your HIPPY coordinator. My job is to help the families of preschoolers in Elmore County prepare their children for kindergarten.
A parent who voluntarily joins the FREE program agrees to work with his or her child for 15 minutes a day in their own home. Families are provided with a curriculum and all needed supplies, along with training on how to effectively teach his or her child. Additionally, monthly meetings are held which provide free childcare, a meal, and useful information on parenting, budgeting, cooking, etc.
As a mother myself, I understand well the challenges facing parents as they try to juggle the many demands placed upon them. Trying to find the time to spend individually with children in an effort to prepare them for school, in addition to spending time offering love and support, is difficult. HIPPY offers parents and children the opportunity to do both.
For more information, contact:
Maryann Forelle
(334) 567-1200 ext. 24009
email address: maryann.forelle@elmoreco.com
Mission and Objectives
HIPPY is dedicated to:
Increasing the chances of positive early school experiences among children from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds
Empowering parents to view themselves as primary educators of their children
Creating an educational environment in the home that encourages literacy
Fostering parental involvement in school and community life
Providing parents with the opportunity of becoming paraprofessionals in their own community
Helping paraprofessionals develop skills and work experience needed to compete successfully for other jobs in labor markets
Stimulating the knowledge development of the child
Improving interaction between parents and their children
Teaching parents and children the job of learning
Breaking through the social isolation of parents
Objectives for Parents
A better understanding of the learning process and development of the child
Opportunities for learning to look at the child differently
Time to pay more attention to the child
Opportunities for talking with the child
Willingness to assume responsibility for a different area of the child’s development
Raised consciousness of the role of a parent
Improved parent-child relationships
Pleasure in participation in enrichment activities
Increasing involvement in school issues and activities
