The Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) longitudinal study

This national longitudinal study examined the outcomes for over 600 children and families who took part in HIPPY between 2016 and 2018.

HIPPY is a free two-year early learning program now operating in 100 communities in Australia that empowers parents and carers to be their children’s first teacher.

This longitudinal study examined the progress of HIPPY families from 45 sites around Australia. The research team conducted face-to-face interviews with parents and used the Who am I? assessment to measure the learning and development of over 600 children over their time in the program.

The study method and some early findings were outlined on a poster to the 2018 Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) conference:

HIPPY Longitudinal Study: initial findings (PDF, 221 KB)

Results and learning were presented at the 2022 AIFS conference (see below).

Further research is being undertaken in the HIPPY in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities Study