About the HIPPY International Network

HIPPY was originally developed at the NCJW Institute for Innovation in Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Known as HAETGAR in Israel, it is a government-funded national program. Outside of Israel, HIPPY has been replicated in twelve countries. HIPPY programs are currently operating in Australia, Austria, Canada, El Salvador, Germany, Italy, New Zealand South Africa and the United States. National early childhood programs still exist in Turkey and the Netherlands that are based on the principles and programmatic approaches to HIPPY. Programs that had been operating in Chile and Mexico closed due to changes in political leadership and priorities. Discussions are now taking place about the possibility of starting new programs in China, Denmark, Portugal, Singapore and Zimbabwe.

Building on the successful proliferation of programs now serving over 22,000 families worldwide, the international network strengthens the ties among existing programs in addition to supporting the growth of new ones. It is a network of professional and paraprofessional staff, researchers, board members, funders, policy makers and advocates for young children and their families that are able to benefit from the experiences of one another worldwide.

The central functions of the Network are:

• Responding systematically to initial contact with new, interested parties
• Maintaining contractual arrangements
• Fundraising
• Coordinating and supporting research
• Training of non-national programs
• Conducting site visits and providing support to national programs
• Supplying curriculum
• Developing new curriculum
• Guiding the initiation and creation of new ideas
• Providing a forum for learning about cross-national issues in parent-focused early childhood intervention programs.
• Conducting annual seminars and training workshops for new and experienced program staff
• Providing a forum for inter-program communication via its website
• Creating a cadre of international trainers who could support the needs of a growing number of programs
• Providing guidance to those interested in research on various aspects of the program
• Providing seed money to help translate materials into different languages
• Encouraging international exchange of coordinators and paraprofessionals
• Providing leadership in international advocacy and Overseeing international exchange of ideas and materials

Different organizations within the nine countries outside of Israel are currently part of the HIPPY International Network. (See HIPPY Worldwide for a complete listing.) Being part of the network means that the programs have a contractual agreement with the Hebrew University to operate the program and that the programs are visited and monitored by HIPPY International.

Our ultimate goal is to build a vibrant and responsive network of organization and people who are committed to helping parents provide much-needed educational enrichment for their young children.

See also:

About HIPPY