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14 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday July 9, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School would like to acknowledge the following placements for their outstanding contribution to our co-operative education program: LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER BUILDING A FUTURE: There was a HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-school Youngsters) party at the YMCA of Oakville. Aarti Sharma and her son, Rohan, read during the HIPPY end-of-year party for their children here at the YMCA of Oakville. More than 30 children and their families attended. You have made a difference in a young person's future! CARRIERS WANTED S The Oakville Beaver The Oakville Beaver is looking for newspaper carriers in your neighbour hood! Support your local carrier HIPPY program prepares youngsters for kindergarten ome parents are glad to see their children taking part in HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters). Four-year-old Rohan Sharma and his mother, Aarti, have spent 15 minutes each day for the past 30 weeks working on the first year of the HIPPY program. As a result, Rohan will enter Junior Kindergarten (JK) in the fall with the skills necessary for academic and social success. Battling isolation and unable to afford to send her son to nursery school, Aarti heard about a program new to Oakville -- Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-school Youngsters, or HIPPY. Each week, Ayesha Yazdanie, a HIPPY home visitor, guides Aarti through a set of lessons and encourages Aarti in her role as Rohan's first and best educator. "I don't want my son to face the same problems that I faced. HIPPY can help you and help your child to be a good student. Now Rohan wants to go to school; he feels confident," said Aarti. The HIPPY program, a result of careful research and testing, has been used in many countries worldwide for close to 40 "I don't want my son to face the same problems that I faced. HIPPY can help you and help your child to be a good student." Aarti Sharma Join our carrier club Earn extra money and win prizes Many routes still available Call immediately for more information 905-845-9742 years. HIPPY Oakville is dedicated to aiding parents of three and four year olds in Oakville help their children enter Kindergarten with the skills necessary for academic and social success. It is primarily aimed at families for whom a pre-school program is not an option. Frequently the children are disadvantaged because of literacy challenges. In Oakville, 12.5 per cent of children fall into this category. It means they are at risk of struggling in school and potentially straining social services or ultimately continuing a cycle of social deprivation. Guiding all children towards success in school will make Canada a better place for all citizens. Delivering HIPPY services, which are free to qualified families, costs about $1,400 per child per year. The funds to support HIPPY Oakville come from many sources including a grant from Halton Healthy Community Fund as well as private donations. HIPPY Oakville currently serves 34 children with a goal to double that number for 2008-2009. HIPPY is about "Helping communities help parents help children," according to its founder June Cockwell. HIPPY was established a year ago by Cockwell and Ann Veale. HIPPY is a pre-school, home based education program that empowers parents to be their three or four-year-old child's first educator and to prepare the children for success when they enter Kindergarten. Families apply to HIPPY and are selected on the basis of need and income. They make a twoyear commitment to the program. HIPPY home visitors work with the parents in their homes. The week's work is reviewed using role play and the native language of the family. Parents work with their child for 15 minutes each day at home, using engaging activity packets and supplies provided by HIPPY. Group meetings for parents are held every second week in See Program page 21