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