Parents and children involved in the HIPPY program receive a multitude of educational, economic and social benefits.




The HIPPY program:

• Empowers parents with the ability to be a child's first educator.

• Improves self-worth as parents discover their ability to become their child’s first and most important teacher.

• Improves child-parent interaction.

• Reduces social isolation and fosters active participation by parents, especially multi-cultural families, into Canadian society.

• Increases self-esteem as parents take great pride in their own and their children’s accomplishments.

• Helps parents improve their own literacy skills.

The HIPPY program:

• Enhances early childhood development by improving pre-literacy, numerical and linguistic skills, as well as cognitive skills (ability to engage dramatic play and imagination through structured but playful activities).

• Reduces social isolation and fosters active participation of children through home visits, groups meetings, and special events.

• Improves children's sense of self-worth, increasing their school-readiness (i.e., improved academic performance and social skills).

• Ensures a child’s ability to retain information.

In the course of learning these skills and concepts, the child experiences a caring and successful one-on-one interaction strengthening the bond of affection between the parent and child.

HIPPY Canada works to strengthen ties within neighbourhoods, so that communities have the capacity to take care of themselves.

The HIPPY program promotes multiculturalism and anti-racism; it supports settlement and immigration by helping newcomers better understand Canadian language, life and culture, develop friendships and a sense of connectedness, and learn to access services in the community.

After 2–3 years home visitors are encouraged to explore additional educational and employment opportunities and other parents are given the chance to become HIPPY home visitors.

The HIPPY program involves local businesses and other regional organizations to ensure that HIPPY is truly reflective of the communities that it serves.

A national HIPPY program provides a timely contribution to the successful achievement of Canada’s goal of creating the optimum conditions for the healthy development of all children.

In addition to social benefits, there is an undeniable cost benefit to the HIPPY program, both to the children who succeed in school, and to the greater community.

Children who grow up in safe and cohesive neighbourhoods do better, on average, than those from dangerous and fragmented neighbourhoods.