Category Archives: Early Education

HIPPY families recognized for preschoolers’ year of learning

The Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program concluded last week with four meetings at schools across the district to congratulate parents on completing the year-long program. More than 1,800 parents and children from 50-plus school communities attended the four events to receive certificates of completion, and went home with literacy materials and activities to keep the kids learning throughout the summer.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000F4hG06Cq1Jo” g_name=”2014-HIPPY” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]

Continue reading →

Veteran volunteer finds ‘joy and fulfillment’ through work with HIPPY

Melissa Hill

Melissa Hill

HISD’s Family and Community Engagement department will be hosting a recruitment event Saturday, June 28, for the district’s Home Instruction for Parent of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program, which empowers the parents of young children to act as their kids’ first teachers.

To get a feel for what it’s like to work with these parents and children, we sat down with volunteer and mother of four Melissa Hill, who serves as a parent instructor in the program. Below is a condensed transcript of that conversation, in which she talks about what first brought her to HIPPY, what the most surprising aspect of the program has been, and her advice to parents on how best to prepare their young children for academic success. Continue reading →

Want to help young children succeed in school? Attend the HIPPY recruitment event June 28

HISD’s Family and Community Engagement department will be hosting a recruitment event on Saturday, June 28, to hire 35 part-time home instructors for the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program. The event will take place from 9 a.m. until noon at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092).

The HIPPY program helps parents of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children prepare their preschoolers for academic success starting in kindergarten. The role of the home instructor is at the heart of the program—home instructors visit 15 to 20 parents in their homes each week and role-play educational activities for parents to practice with their children. Children whose parents participate in the free program consistently outperform their peers on standardized tests in the early grades. Continue reading →

HISD, Barbara Bush Foundation team up to tackle literacy crisis

The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation on Thursday unveiled a plan of action to boost literacy rates across people of all ages, and is partnering with the Houston Independent School District and other organizations to make literacy a top priority.

“We will not end the cycle of poverty until we end the cycle of low literacy,” said Bush Foundation President Julie Baker Finck in unveiling “Houston’s Literacy Crisis: A Blueprint for Community Action.”

“The blueprint’s purpose is to increase awareness of Houston’s prevalent literacy crisis, elevate literacy as a top priority, and mobilize the community into action,” she said.

The announcement follows the presentation of HISD’s comprehensive literacy plan – Literacy By 3 – to the Board of Education at a workshop last week. The plan engages students, teachers, parents, and community members around the goal of having every student reading with proficiency by Grade 3.

Continue reading →

Week of the Young Child event honors early childhood educators

Two 4-year-olds in lab coats launched a model rocket they’d built themselves and kicked off an event to honor early childhood educators at HISD’s Hattie Mae White building on Tuesday, April 15.  Made of paper, PVC pipe and an empty water bottle, the two tiny scientists were able to explain without hesitation how the contraption worked, thanks to the hard work of early educators at Fonwood Early Childhood Center.

The district celebrated national “Week of the Young Child” a bit later than usual because of STAAR testing, but that didn’t impact enthusiasm.  Artwork graced the walls of the board auditorium, and early childhood educators gathered for refreshments and networking, as young children from HISD’s early childhood centers provided a walking and talking museum just outside the doors.

Continue reading →

Decisions, decisions: School Choice Week celebrates variety

Kolter ES students are excited about School Choice Week!

The fourth annual National School Choice Week (NSCW) kicks off its Whistle-Stop Tour across the nation in Houston at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at Union Station at Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford St. The event provides an opportunity to learn more about HISD’s School Choice program and the portfolio of educational programs offered by the district’s many magnet and vanguard, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, and early college high schools, Futures academies, and charter schools. Despite the December deadline for first-round consideration for magnet applications, there are still many openings in great schools across the district.

Continue reading →

District reviewing literacy plan in the new year

HISD will be reviewing and modifying the district’s literacy plan known as CLASS over the next several months and evaluating individual school programs for effectiveness.

“It really comes down to coherence at the district level,” said Chief Academic Officer Dan Gohl. “In math, there are very few programs and there is a great deal of coherence, so when a child moves from one school to another, they can quickly adapt. This is not true of our literacy programs.”

Continue reading →

Not Your Parents’ Old-Style Teacher Conference

A new team approach – blending classroom learning with home support — is revolutionizing teacher-parent conferences in an HISD pilot program.

Centered on “Academic Parent-Teacher Teams,” the approach being tried at eight schools brings in groups of parents to meet with their child’s teacher three times a year. Instead of merely walking out with a report card, these parents know where their youngster stands in relation to the rest of the class – and take with them important tools to help support in the home what’s being taught in the classroom.

Continue reading →

Open House to Showcase HISD’s Portfolio of School Choices

Options include magnet programs, Montessori, early colleges and Futures academies

The Houston Independent School District provides families with a vast portfolio of educational programs, and parents and students will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from many of them this weekend.

Representatives from more than 100 schools will be on hand during the HISD School Choice Open House on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Northwest Mall, 9500 Hempstead Highway.

“Our goal is to ensure parents can select the right school to adequately meet their child’s unique needs and talents,” said HISD Assistant Superintendent for School Choice Dave Wheat. “We are committed to providing all students a high-quality education that prepares them to be college-ready, regardless of which program they choose.”

Representatives from HISD’s Magnet programs, Vanguard Magnet programs, Montessori, early colleges, Futures academies and charter schools will be ready to assist parents in making the best school choice for their children. Parents will also have the opportunity to learn more about the online option to submit their applications. Applications for Magnet programs will be accepted from Nov. 4 to Dec. 20, 2013, for guaranteed consideration in the first round.

“At this event, parents will find all the resources and assistance they need to explore their options for the next school year,” Wheat said. “The representatives will be there to assist them with every step of the application.”

HISD’s school choice options are available to all children, including those who live outside HISD.

For more information about the HISD School Choice Open House, contact the Office of School Choice at 713-556-6947.

Students Learn About Giving Back on Green Apple Day of Service

Students at HISD’s Mistral Early Childhood Center participated in the second annual Green Apple Day of Service on Sept. 28 by planting 10 trees on campus, weeding the vegetable and butterfly gardens, and placing several logs and stumps throughout the area to provide seating for an outdoor classroom.

Continue reading →