April 28, 2014 - Former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered the keynote address at
HIPPY USA's Avima D. Lombard Award Dinner at Kellogg Conference Hotel
at Gallaudet University. HIPPY USA (Home Instruction for Parents
of Preschool Youngsters) supports parents in teaching their young
children by providing a curriculum and in home volunteers. The
program is active in 21 states and DC and serves about 15,000
children. Clinton described how in 1985 while attending a
governors conference in
Florida as first lady of Arkansas she learned about the program in a
newspaper article. She followed up, contacting the program's
founder in
Israel, and in 1986 started HIPPY in Arkansas. HIPPY's work
parallels Clinton's current efforts with the Too Small to Fail
initiative, which is also focusing on children ages zero to five.
Indeed Clinton noted that one media outlet has dubbed Too Small To Fail
"HIPPY 2.0." In her speech Clinton highlighted the "word gap,"
citing a study which showed that lower income children hear 30 million
fewer words by age four than higher income children. She
emphasized the importance of parental engagement and involvement with
their children. "Talking is teaching,"Clinton said. |