The Government is increasing its ongoing contribution to the Home Instruction Programme for Pre School and Year One Youngsters (HIPPY), Education Minister Trevor Mallard said today.

The move was in line with Government policy to maintain a mix of good parenting programmes for families with children under five.

“This Government promised to reduce disparities for Maori, Pacific, and low income families, and we will keep to that promise,” said Trevor Mallard. “HIPPY is a proven programme that contributes to better outcomes for both children and parents.”

Up to $812,000 per annum will in future be available for the ‘stand-alone’ HIPPY programmes that are outside of Family Service Centres. That is $100,000 more than was available last year, when HIPPY programmes provided a service to 745 families.

HIPPY is a home visiting support and development programme that helps parents in disadvantaged communities to support their 4 to 5-year-olds’ learning as they get ready to start school. It helps with their literacy and numeracy, and provides community support for their parents. It receives 4% of the $22 million invested per annum in parent support and development through Vote Education.

Trevor Mallard said the Government’s extra support to HIPPY would be generated by the re-allocation of a little of the funding that in recent years has been going to Parents as First Teachers (PAFT).

PAFT currently receives $9.7 million per annum for services to 9,500 families. This will be trimmed by $300,000 in 2000/01, and by an ongoing $712,000 a year after that.

“This adjustment will not affect areas in which PAFT can be most effective, and I have been assured that almost all of the families already in PAFT will be able to complete the programme,” said Trevor Mallard.

“The Government will continue to support both HIPPY and PAFT next year. The two programmes work together with other Government early intervention programmes to meet the learning needs of children aged 0-5 years and to reduce disparities among children within that age bracket,” Trevor Mallard said.

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