Thursday, February 23, 2012

HIPPY Call


 
2.23.2012
Roll Call:

 
Dallas – Adriana Trevino
- No update at this time, waiting to hear about funding

Ector – Odessa, Kathy Siepak
- Haven’t gotten the contract, so can’t start in terms of the grany
- Head start is ready to go, with coordinator and home visitors on board

Nueces – Corpus Christi, Karen Turner
- Waiting for the grant – started with discussions to identify parents, districts to work with

Potter – Amarillo, Maria Garcia
- Have gotten confirmation from Specialized Therapy Services, they will implement HIPPY

Willacy – Rio Grande Valley, Monica Pena from AVANCE
- Same as the last call, just waiting
                                           
Funding start? None of us know – eek!

 
Lia Lent – HIPPY USA, Executive Director
  • Welcome!
  • National office will contract with each site, and invoice fees. Services include ETO (online system), curriculum development, etc.
  • Sites’ primary relationship is with the TX state office – who provides technical assistance, training, fidelity monitoring
  • Curriculum revisions are in the process – age 3 and age 4 curricula. Based on input from 500 parents as well as home visitors, coordinators, etc. Changes include formatting change, alignment with the common core standards, adding non-fiction books, more reading, more counting. Piloting next year and rolling out field-wide 2013.
  • How is developmental appropriateness maintained? Learning domains are balanced, cognitive development skills have been increased in complexity to meet the demand in society (education systems, increased exposure to skills in early years). All skills, including cognitive skills, are presented through play, games, etc.
  • Question: Sample of the curriculum – how to get ahold of it? It was mailed to each community. Lia will check with HUSA staff to see who it was mailed to, Carla will let everyone know.  
  • Links to research – national, http://www.hippyusa.org/research.php, and TX, http://www.unt.edu/hippy/impact/pages/research.html
  • New researcher – University of South Florida – will work with the national network of researchers.
  • Contracting process – application to HHSC in lieu of HIPPY USA application. TX HIPPY will send HUSA the implementation plans and completed cover sheets. This will then begin the contracting process, which will be with the agency that implements HIPPY. Very important – have to have contract to purchase curriculum.

Benchmarks

  • We’re reviewing the benchmarks to figure out how to best gather information, what will be input into the ETO (info management system provided by HIPPY USA), etc.
  • Benchmarks are Attachment 3 on the grant – found here: http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/contract/529120029/rfp.shtml
  • If you have not done so already, please carefully review the benchmarks
 
                                                                                                                                              
Start Up Timeline
  • Found on the blog, http://www.txhv.blogspot.com/, under resources, under HIPPY
  • Please read through (sorry for the fuzzy print) and we’ll use this as a basis for our next call
 
Hiring Coordinator
  • Odessa, already in place
  • Corpus, will be able to move fast for hiring – travel will take a little while to process
  • Ector - Coordinator in place – not sure if we can commit funding until the RFP is done, hoping for next Friday
  • RGV – coordinator applicants are in place, prescreened already. Hiring would take about 2 weeks
  • Dallas – the internal process takes time, fortunately this is an expansion and existing staff can work on start up
 

 

 

Friday, February 17, 2012

HIPPY Conference Call 2/9/12

Attendees:


Dallas, Thalia Brinkman Dallas UNITED WAY
Working with DISD/ and they will be hiring additional home instructors
Adriana Trevino – Dallas ISD

Longview - Aliceson Pinkerton
Will provide HIPPY as soon as they hear back about funding and implementation.  They are ready to hire and get started

Odessa - Kathy Seipak and Brenda Waters: submitted application to Carla and has been approved, waiting for funding to be provided and is ready to move forward

Potter County / Amarillo Maria Garcia
Possible private providers that have not confirmed, but does look promising and can move fwd with application. Population is identified and home visitors identified.

RGV/McAllen - Monica and Michelle
Easter Seals/ subcontracting HIPPY… have submitted paperwork and waiting to hear back on funding. Have home visitors.

Nueces County / Corpus Christi - Karen
UNITED WAY: Has submitted paperwork and waiting to hear back on funding. Have started identifying target population.

The theme of the call is each are waiting on the funding in order to move forward. They have home instructors identified and ready to hire.

Q/A

Q:  Coordinator retreat/Pre-service two types of training that are offered. The HIPPY USA conference and the Kick Off are two other trainings provided. What are all these trainings? When and where are the trainings? How long are the trainings? Who should attend?

·         A: Preservice is a one-time training for new coordinators and assistant coordinators (full week) and the programmatic supervisor (direct supervisor of the coordinator) attends the first two days of the weeklong training. If the fiscal agent “supervisor” wishes to attend, it would be greatly beneficial, but it is not required.

·         Coordinator Retreat is an annual training, provided by Texas HIPPY, for 2 days, held in the Dallas area. It is for program coordinators/assistant coordinators.

·         Kick Off is an annual training, provided by Texas HIPPY, for 2.5 days, held at a retreat setting 1 hour from Dallas, which is for home visitors, coordinators and assistant coordinators.

·         HIPPY USA National Conference is a biannual national conference, for Coordinators and Assistant Coordinators held in even numbered years, provided by HIPPY USA. The National Conference will be held in April in Dallas. It is recommended that new sites not attend at this time, as staff will be very busy with start up.

·         The next preservice will be in Little Rock AK –on March 18-23, please contact Angela Jones, ajones@hippyusa.org for registration and information.

·         In order to accommodate new coordinators who are not hired in time for the March 18 Preservice, a second preservice may be held in the Dallas area. New coordinators should attend the next available preservice.   

Q: HHS funding? What is the date of releasing of funds?
·         A: We do not know the answer to this – please direct questions to HHSC.

HIPPY office will be making phone calls for site visits for compliance/start up training.
Call ended at 11:34 am