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Findings praise novel preschool program
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July 24, 2002
Findings praise novel preschool program...About 40 participants in a three day training session about HIPPY Canada are excited about the results of a pilot study by Lucy LeMare, an early childhood development researcher at Simon Fraser University. LeMare’s results indicate that pre-schoolers enrolled in HIPPY tend to do better academically, socially and emotionally than pre-schoolers enrolled in other pre-school programs or those not in any program. LeMare cautions, "My results are based on a relatively small number of children but nevertheless the findings are encouraging."
HIPPY Canada is a nationwide, community and home-based program aimed at putting at-risk pre-schoolers on an equal footing with other pre-schoolers when they enter the public school system. HIPPY (Home Instructional Program for Pre-school Youngsters) teaches community-based caregivers and educators (coordinators) how to help parents prepare their three to five year old children for school. The coordinators also teach parents to be home visitors, who help each other coach their children. The program originated in Israel in the 1960s and now exists internationally, with 165 sites in the United States.
Organizers at Simon Fraser University, the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada and the Britannia Community Services founded Canada’s first HIPPY program at Britannia in east Vancouver three years ago. Since then, the Britannia program has coached hundreds of three to five year olds and a second program has sprung up in Halifax. The first information meeting to build national interest in launching more programs across Canada has attracted numerous potential coordinators from B.C., especially aboriginal communities.
"Vancouver is the site of the first training session for HIPPY in Canada. Prospective coordinators can meet with successful parents from a variety of ethnic backgrounds including Vietnamese, Chinese and Afro Canadian," says Carol Slater. The national chair of HIPPY Canada hopes growing grassroots interest in the program and LeMare’s initial findings will spark more federal funding for the program nationwide. Three years ago, Health Canada contributed $460,000 to launching HIPPY Canada.
The program’s first national training session will wrap up today (July 24) with a meeting of home visitors and prospective coordinators at Britannia Community Services, 1661 Napier Street. The media are welcome.
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CONTACT
Carol Slater, 604.618.7717
Lucy LeMare, 604.291.3272
Carol Thorbes Media & PR, 604.291.3035
HIPPY Canada is a nationwide, community and home-based program aimed at putting at-risk pre-schoolers on an equal footing with other pre-schoolers when they enter the public school system. HIPPY (Home Instructional Program for Pre-school Youngsters) teaches community-based caregivers and educators (coordinators) how to help parents prepare their three to five year old children for school. The coordinators also teach parents to be home visitors, who help each other coach their children. The program originated in Israel in the 1960s and now exists internationally, with 165 sites in the United States.
Organizers at Simon Fraser University, the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada and the Britannia Community Services founded Canada’s first HIPPY program at Britannia in east Vancouver three years ago. Since then, the Britannia program has coached hundreds of three to five year olds and a second program has sprung up in Halifax. The first information meeting to build national interest in launching more programs across Canada has attracted numerous potential coordinators from B.C., especially aboriginal communities.
"Vancouver is the site of the first training session for HIPPY in Canada. Prospective coordinators can meet with successful parents from a variety of ethnic backgrounds including Vietnamese, Chinese and Afro Canadian," says Carol Slater. The national chair of HIPPY Canada hopes growing grassroots interest in the program and LeMare’s initial findings will spark more federal funding for the program nationwide. Three years ago, Health Canada contributed $460,000 to launching HIPPY Canada.
The program’s first national training session will wrap up today (July 24) with a meeting of home visitors and prospective coordinators at Britannia Community Services, 1661 Napier Street. The media are welcome.
—30—
CONTACT
Carol Slater, 604.618.7717
Lucy LeMare, 604.291.3272
Carol Thorbes Media & PR, 604.291.3035