Great Potentials Foundation – Home-Based Pre-School Education (HIPPY)
HIPPY is a free, home‑based early‑learning programme introduced to New Zealand by the Great Potentials Foundation in 1992. Over the past three decades, more than 30,000 children have benefited from the programme, which is now active in 28 communities nationwide.
Programme Goals
HIPPY equips parents—especially those facing socioeconomic or educational barriers—with the tools, confidence, and skills to become their young children’s first teachers. It aims to prepare 2–5-year-old children (3–4 years at select sites) for school readiness and lifelong learning by fostering both academic and non‑academic foundations.
How It Works
- Parents receive weekly workbooks comprising daily 15‑minute activities to use with their child, five days a week.
- The materials align with Te Whāriki and New Zealand’s Curriculum, nurturing cognitive, social, and emotional development.
- Local coordinators oversee the programme along with para‑professional tutors—often parents themselves—who support families via regular home visits and group meetings.
Benefits for Families
- Children involved in HIPPY typically show stronger literacy, numeracy, oracy, and school behaviour, along with higher self‑esteem, than their peers.
- Parents gain deeper insights into child development, build learning‑focused home environments, and often pursue further education, training, or employment.
- Families experience improved connections with their community via peer group meetings and support networks
