Title

Head Start and HIPPY Better Together: Examining Current Collaborations

Date

2019

Author(s)

Amber L. Brown

Brief Type

Journal Publication

Model(s)

  • Early Head Start Home-Based Option
  • Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)

Description

The purpose of this project was to examine the blending of two research-supported early childhood programs, one delivered in the classroom - Head Start and one delivered by parents in the home – HIPPY. Head Start and HIPPY share the common goals of preparing children for kindergarten by closing the achievement gap and empowering parents as first and best teachers for their children. Data on current Head Start/HIPPY collaborations was collected through focus group interviews with home visitors, teachers, parents, and administrators. Themes discovered through qualitative analysis included: (a) the recognition of home visiting as a way to provide services to more families; (b) the ability to provide additional services to children and families; (c) increased communication between all parties involved in the collaboration; better perceived outcomes for both the children and the parents; (d) the difficulty of including all the requirements of both programs in their work with families; (e) difficulties around assessment; and (f) the lack of time among home visitors to serve families, plan, and train. Major recommendations for future programs were to plan for the collaboration of services during the grant writing stage, partner with school districts in order to track the long-term outcomes for children, and the most frequent recommendation was to adjust case-loads to reflect the additional work required of program staff in order to meet each programs’ requirements in the collaboration. (author abstract)

Data Collection Methods

  • Focus groups
  • Interviews

Status

Finished

For More Information

Brown, A. L. (2019). Head Start and HIPPY better together: Examining current collaborations. Dialog, 22(1), 27-56. https://journals.uncc.edu/dialog/article/viewFile/777/784
Author Contact Information:
Amber L. Brown
browna@uhcl.edu

Topics

  • Collaboration and Coordination