By Jacqueline Hough, Bennettsville, S.C. (http://heraldadvocate.com/)

Marlboro County parents of preschool youth will have a chance to gain more tools to help them as their child’s first teacher. Last week, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) Coordinator Cheryl Scales read to 4K students at First United Methodist Children's Center during a read-along and a kickoff of the program coming to the county.

Randall Johnson, director of Marlboro County First Steps, said the local First Steps in conjunction with First Steps South Carolina will start with HIPPY, which is a home visiting program that supports parents in their role as their child's first and most important teacher.

A HIPPY educator will be hired to work with 10 families on exposing children to literacy, strengthening families, providing tools for childhood success, and promoting early learning. “This is where we need to catch children first in terms of development,” he said. “This program will help give parents extra skills for their children.”

Cheryl Scales, the state program coordinator for the HIPPY program, said only nine counties are participating in it (Marlboro, Barnwell, Berkeley, Hampton, Horry, Marion, Newberry, Orangeburg, and Richland). This will be the first year for Marlboro. Scales felt it would be an excellent opportunity for parents. “It is not just for 4K students but any four-year-old especially children not enrolled in any type of program,” she said.

HIPPY is a home visiting program where the educator goes into homes or conducts in-person visits, which can be on porches, at parks or in the library. It is an evidence-based program that promotes literacy. The educator will work with parents for 30 weeks coaching them on activities that will get a child ready for kindergarten. The activities are 15-20 minutes five days a week.

Scales said they can work with their child right at home using materials that can be found in the home and helps to get ready for kindergarten. Scales added they are working with the 4K program here in the county since they have a good foundation right here with a lot of these students right here at this center since being an infant or a toddler.

Johnson said they plan to start the program in September and will first start with parents at the First United Methodist Children's Center. If they don’t get enough parents out of there, there will be open recruitment for other parents who have four-year-olds and want to be involved with the program.

Everything starts with the 4K class here. State First Steps officials have presented a check to local officials for their annual allocation of $200,000 from the State Legislature. Johnson said they were also given $18,000 to implement the HIPPY program in two phases, AmeriCorps, and a pilot program for family home daycare.

For more information about First Steps and the HIPPY program, email marlborocountyfirststeps1@gmail.com.  

Topics: Parenting, Early Care and Education