25 new communities to benefit from the Brotherhood's HIPPY early-childhood program

The Brotherhood of St Laurence welcomes the Australian Government's announcement of funding for 25 new communities across Australia to participate in the Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) in 2015.

The new HIPPY sites will focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services and managed by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, HIPPY is a two-year, home-based early childhood learning and parenting program that empowers parents and carers to be their child’s first teacher. HIPPY builds the confidence and skills of parents and carers to create a positive learning environment to prepare their child for school. Some parents and carers are employed as Home Tutors, providing them with a supported pathway to employment. HIPPY also fosters local community leadership.

The Brotherhood's Executive Director, Tony Nicholson, said: “The Brotherhood is proud to have brought HIPPY to Australia 16 years ago. We think HIPPY is an outstanding program because it engages parents in preparing their children for school life and in the process helps strengthen community life.

“This expansion will bring HIPPY to a total of 100 communities around the country; providing even more opportunities to participate in this wonderful program and also providing new local employment opportunities as Home Tutors.”

Now that the 25 communities have been selected, the next stage is an expression-of-interest process run by the Brotherhood of St Laurence to select a local organisation to operate HIPPY in each community.

HIPPY Australia's National Manager, Marian Pettit, said: “HIPPY supports parents to get their kids ready to learn at school. The Brotherhood of St Laurence works closely with community organisations that deliver the program. This expression-of-interest process is an opportunity for local organisations in these communities to register their interest to become involved with HIPPY.

”HIPPY has been run in Australia since 1998 and currently operates in 75 locations from Katherine in the Northern Territory to Clarendon Vale in Tasmania and across to Geraldton in Western Australia.

Organisations wishing to apply to operate HIPPY in their local community should go to the website: www.hippyaustralia.org.au . The Expression of Interest closes on 26 June 2015.

MEDIA CONTACT: Mairéad Doolan, Communications Facilitator, HIPPY Australia
Phone (03) 9445 3448 or mdoolan@bsl.org.au

The 25 new communities are:

New South Wales
Goonellabah and Surrounds
Kempsey
Nambucca and Surrounds
Taree-Forster
Wyong and Surrounds

Northern Territory
Darwin North
Milingimbi Island
Tennant Creek

Queensland
Cairns Central
Cairns South
Cherbourg
Cooktown and Surrounds
Deception Bay
Doomadgee
Northern Peninsula Area

South Australia
Port Augusta

Tasmania
Brighton

Victoria
Mooroopna and Surrounds
Whittlesea

Western Australia
Broome and Surrounds
Bunbury-Collie
Hedland
Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Midland and Surrounds
Mowanjum-Derby