The program, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, sends trained peer home visitors, often parents who went through the program themselves, into homes to coach parents through a 30-week curriculum. Visits run about an hour a week, and parents then work with their children roughly 20 minutes a day, in the family’s home language. Manuel Carmona, director of public health, announced the designation.
The national organization ranks affiliates on three levels. An endorsed site meets all required standards for model fidelity, a recognized site “demonstrates impact that exceeds fidelity requirements,” and a stellar site sits in the top 10% of the endorsed network. Sites are judged against the organization’s Model Guidance, Requirements and Accreditation standards through a fidelity visit examining role play, home visits, coordinators and home visitors. The Pasadena review included an autonomous self-assessment, a model fidelity specialist review and an evaluation of programmatic and operational structures, the city said.
The model carries federal standing. It was among the first seven national home visiting models added to the federal list of evidence-based programs, reviewed through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness project. A 2024 quasi-experimental study found participation raised children’s cognitive skills and their numeracy and literacy scores relative to children who did not take part.
Nationally, the program reaches more than 12,000 families across 20 states and the District of Columbia. Benny Feifel, chief executive of HIPPY International, has pointed to “the transformative impact that home visiting can have” for children heading into elementary school.
The Pasadena site sits inside a decade-old city policy. The City Council adopted the Early Child Development Policy on March 23, 2015, developed by the Human Services Commission, and passed Resolution 9419 backing a goal that Pasadena be known as an Early Learning City by 2025. The policy set a five-year master plan for children from birth to age 5 and led to the creation of the Office of the Young Child. Pasadena held its public launch as an Early Learning City at Brookside Park on Sept. 23, 2017.
The program is now recruiting families in Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre with children ages 2 to 4. Community organizations, local agencies and service providers can refer eligible families or partner on outreach.
Families can reach the program at (626) 744-6198 or HIPPY@CityOfPasadena.net.
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