By By MaryClaire Foster
Wrapping up its inaugural year, the Atmore HIPPY program held a graduation ceremony Tuesday morning.
HIPPY, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, allows parents to participate in home based teaching with instructors visiting the participants’ homes once a week to teach parents how to teach their children. Parents then spend 15 to 20 minutes a day teaching their children.
HIPPY program director Dianne Rose said the program was an all around success for the year.
Besides positive verbal feedback, the program’s success is evident in the test scores of the children.
The Peabody test measures intelligence.
Some of the parents from HIPPY spoke at the graduation and gave rave reviews of the program.
Coker said she was motivated to enroll her son in the program when he expressed the desire to go to school like his older brothers do.
The HIPPY program will expand next year to include a program for four-year-olds, many of which will come from the three-year-old class.
Rose said there are still 15 spots available for the four-year-old program and 10 spots available for the three-year-old program. She said the Poarch Band of Creek Indians is also looking to start a program with spots for 15 three-year-olds and so is Baldwin County, which will have 15 to 20 spots.
Preparations for next year’s program have already begun and Rose said there are a couple of ways community members can help.
Rose expressed her appreciation for a recent donation made by the United Methodist Women. Rose said their $200 donation would allow for 25 of the necessary program books to be bought for students.
Anyone looking to make a donation or for information about participating in the HIPPY program can contact Rose at 368-5478.