Staff from the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) attended the HIPPY U.S. National Conference in Baltimore from April 6–9. Representatives from the Florida HIPPY Training and Technical Assistance Center and the Hillsborough HIPPY Parent Involvement Project (HHPIP), both based at the University of South Florida, presented at the conference and earned top honors.
Originally created for Florida HIPPY by Dawn Khalil, HIPPY U.S. adopted the design and used it as the official emblem for the 2025 National Conference.
The National Network of HIPPY programs hosts the conference every two years to provide training and recognition, and to celebrate the program and its staff.
HIPPY, an international, evidence-based home visiting program, partners with parents of children ages two to five to support school readiness. Home visitors deliver curriculum, books and materials, and use peer-to-peer mentoring to equip parents with tools and strategies to engage their children in weekly activities.
The program’s success is driven by the dedication of home visitors who work directly
with families to implement the curriculum.
Lizette Delarosa, a home visitor with Hillsborough HIPPY, received the Avima Lombard
Award for Most Outstanding Home Visitor at this year’s conference. The award, named
in honor of the founder Avima Lombard, recognizes excellence in three categories:
home visitor, coordinator, and agency.
Lizette Delarosa
Karen A. Berman, PhD
Tracy Jordan-Payne, PhD, assistant research professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) and HIPPY state director, praised the recipients for embodying the program’s mission. "These individuals and organizations exemplify the values and vision of HIPPY," she said. "Their tireless efforts uplift the HIPPY brand, strengthen HIPPY US and advance the promise of positive, generational change."
Karen A. Berkman, PhD, special instructor and former executive director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) at USF, presented a new project at the conference: the National Autism Spectrum Disorder–Community of Research and Practice (NASD-CORP). Developed through a 12-year collaboration between HIPPY and CARD, the project aims to make the HIPPY curriculum more accessible for young children with autism.
Berkman's presentation, "Enhancing the Accessibility of the HIPPY Curriculum for Young Children with Autism," outlined a two-part training and technical assistance model. The program includes an interactive eight-week online course with weekly discussions designed to support home visitors and parent educators.
The course modules offer a knowledge base, followed by the development of a Community of Research and Practice (CORP) to help home visitors apply what they’ve learned with the families they serve. This ongoing process builds expertise with each graduating cohort and supports future participants in the CORP.
"This unique partnership addresses a need for children with autism to receive a structured home-based school readiness program in a familiar environment rather than be on a waitlist for services," Berkman said. She continued, "We have data to support the positive impact on a child’s academic development as well as building engagement and confidence with a caregiver."
HIPPY began in Israel in the late 1960s and launched its first U.S. site in Miami in 1985. The program expanded nationally with support from Miriam Westheimer, the National Council of Jewish Women and then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, becoming a recognized model for preparing children for school success through parent engagement.