SPRING 2007
The Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a home visiting program for caregivers of young children ages 3 to 5 years old designed to increase school readiness and to foster parents’ involvement in their children’s education and in community life. The curriculum is focused on specific school readiness skills and the four essential features are role playing, home visits, group meetings, and a staff of home visitors. The program is delivered in Spanish and English.
The HIPPY program at FSSWH runs during the school year and has been serving families for eleven years. Funding for the 2006-2007 program year was from a grant-in-aid from the Hawaii State Legislature and administered through the Department of Human Services.
The Federal Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement has given Parents and Children Together a five-year grant which includes funding for next year’s HIPPY program. PACT is now administering the Hawaii Parental Information and Resource Center. In partnership with Family Support Services of West Hawaii, Child and Family Service and KEY Project of Kane'ohe, HPIRC's goal is to increase parental involvement in education, improve academic achievement and strengthen school-family-community partnerships.
The FSSWH HIPPY program has been awarded Stellar Program status for quality programming and services delivered to HIPPY children and families by the HIPPY USA National Office for three consecutive years. This is a great honor and is truly special recognition for the staff and participating families in the program.
As the 2006-2007 year comes to a close I would like to thank the dedicated hardworking HIPPY staff and all the HIPPY families that have made this program a success. We eagerly look forward to the upcoming 2007-2008 HIPPY year that will begin in September. For more information about the HIPPY program please contact HIPPY Coordinator, Shannon Ramirez at 334-4111.
Joann Bishop Freed, Masters of Education
Executive Director
In Hawaii, April is not, as the poet T. S. Eliot claims, “the cruelest month.” It is rather a time of hope and renewal. There is nothing that personifies our optimism for the future better than the birth of a new baby. Every newborn carries our wish for a new beginning, the opportunity to start anew. And if they could speak, every infant would ask his/her parents: “Can trust you?” “Will you keep me safe?” “Will you be there for me?” “Can you take care of me?” Babies are born completely dependent on their caregivers, and for them to flourish, they need loving human interaction and stimulation just as they need physical care. Children develop in the context of relationships. The National Research Council along with the Institute of Medicine concluded in its report entitled From Neurons to Neighborhoods, “A vast store of research has confirmed that what young children learn, how they react to the events and people around them, and what they expect from themselves and others are deeply affected by their relationships with parents, the behavior of parents, and the environment of the home in which they live,” (2000).
The social and emotional development of young children is emerging as a central focus of prevention and early intervention programs particularly for children under five years of age. Family Support Services of West Hawaii has been weaving this perspective into all components of its family support programs. We are dedicated to promoting the wellness of the entire family beginning with an effort to understand each new infant within the context of his or her family, community and culture. We hope to translate our knowledge about emotional development in the earliest years of life—and its importance for all later development—into those contexts so that it may become a part of the fabric of shared wisdom. This involves using principles that convey respect for the individual, an appreciation of strengths and the importance of continuous, stable and accessible relationships and supports.
We appreciate each and every member of our community whose relationship with us—whether through financial support, in-kind donations or volunteerism--has allowed us to grow and improve our services to children and families over the past twenty-seven years. It is not a coincidence that April is both the Month of the Young Child and Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month. It is through our commitment to work together, across disciplines, across settings and across cultures that we can use science-based knowledge along with the wisdom of families and practitioners to ensure healthy development for all children and eliminate the pain of child abuse and neglect.
Ellen O'Kelly, Program Manager
Early Head Start
The plans for the new Infant/Toddler Playground for the FSSWH/Kealakehe High School’s Center-based partnership for the Graduation, Reality and Dual Role Skills (GRADS) program have been unveiled. Toddler and preschool play environments are very different from other playgrounds because of the interaction with adult staff and greater reliance on the landscape to form an area of play.
Through a community-built effort, Grassroots Community Playgrounds plans to assist and guide the construction of the play area with landscape and custom-built features.
Plans for this project have been supported by Head Start Program Improvement funds and will be built on the grounds of Kealakehe High School using student and community volunteer help. Phase I provides the play space that children can begin using in a very short period of time. Groups of volunteers will be needed along with donated materials and tools. Materials needed include: two by two, two by four and four by four lumber for fencing, fence siding and cement. Tools specifically needed include: wheel barrow, gloves, o’o (large pry bars), jack hammer for digging, picks, impact drills, standard socket and wrench sets, 2 1/2 “ chop saws, AC drills, brushes, paint buckets, saw horses, jigsaw, router with bits, levels and transit, square, tape measures, mobile table saw and circular saw.
If you would like more information on volunteering or would be able to help with supplies, please call Judy Personius at Early Head Start—334-4183.
Joann Bishop Freed, Masters of Education
Executive Director
Ms. Susan Entz, the Developmental Specialist with FSSWH’s North Hawaii Child Development Program and Instructor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Hawaii’s West Hawaii Campus, presented her research findings at the prestigious Oxford Round Table held recently at Harris Manchester College in the University of Oxford, England. This was the sixth Round Table session devoted to the topic of Early Childhood Education, and Sue was one of only thirty five educators from around the country who were invited to join this interdisciplinary group for a week of sharing and intensive dialogue based on both their expertise and their interest in early learning for all children.
Sue described the results of her work with the Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE), one of twelve federally funded research centers on education. The findings, summarized in five critical elements of effective teaching, demonstrate that when consistently implemented they result in greater student outcomes across the curriculum regardless of age, and higher academic test scores regardless of the student population.
Sue explained to the diverse audience that the goal of the standards movement has been to improve student outcomes for all children regardless of background or risk factors. The focus thus far has been on instructional, program or performance standards—i.e.; what children will do to demonstrate they have learned. While important, Sue proposes that there is another ingredient in achieving positive student outcomes. What teachers do and how they do it has a profound impact on the quality of the educational experience for children.
Expanding on the social and emotional development of infants and toddlers she has seen participating in the North Hawaii Child Development Program, Sue writes that, “as with the newborn, dependent on others for its very existence, it is through relationships that teachers help students to master the skills and knowledge necessary for positive long-term outcomes.”
Through its partnership with Kamehameha Preschools, CREDE research has identified several key practices that have been organized into five elements that provide teachers with a conceptual framework around which to organize effective teaching. Taken together and used consistently, these practices are effective with all students and result in higher student outcomes. The results hold true even with students at greatest risk for educational failure, and underscores in dramatic fashion that what a teacher does in the classroom with children matters a great deal, ultimately becoming the vehicle for achieving success for all students.
Sue’s experience as a researcher, an early childhood teacher educator and a practitioner was appreciated by the participants at the Oxford Round Table.
Through her presentation, she was able to help bridge the gap that often exists between the University and the classroom. It is expected that this body of knowledge will be the basis for future early childhood education courses as well as traditional classroom-based and web-based teacher training support.
“Michiko’s Story,” the 2nd in a series of Family Stories videos released by Medical Home Works and features an Early Head Start family that moved to Hawaii from the Marshall Islands. The video follows the family through the many transitions they have experienced and shows how their relationships with a community pediatrician—Dr. Steven Kaplan—and a supportive Home Visitor—Charlene Ishikuro--have made a difference in helping them find permanent housing and employment. Michiko, once shy and silent, is now a confident, curious three year old. Her mom Sela says her vision for her daughter’s future is that she becomes a lawyer and a businesswoman. Watch the entire video at http://www.fsswh.org/videos/mochiko.htm
