Unlocking potential: How the HIPPY Australia free resources support family engagement and school readiness

The transition to school is one of the most important junctures in a child’s learning journey. For many families, particularly those facing disadvantage or barriers, the role that adults play at home in supporting children’s early learning is vital. 

The HIPPY Australia program offers free resources that engage parents/carers as their child’s first teacher, build home‑learning routines, and strengthen the bridge between family and early childhood services. These resources offer an important tool for educators and services seeking to embed inclusive, preventative and relationally‑oriented practice.

At its heart, HIPPY Australia provides families with free tools, activity‑packs and story‑books that support shared learning between parent/carer and child.

Some key features:

• The materials are designed to be embedded in everyday home life: short, structured activities alongside the child’s daily routines. 
• The program spans two years with the aim of preparing children for school by building early literacy, numeracy, social‑emotional and home‑learning skills. 
• Implementation is supported through home‑visiting tutors, parent group meetings, and connection to local services and networks.
• The rollout of HIPPY in Australia is extensive: starting in one Melbourne site in 1998 and expanding to hundreds of communities, many of which target Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and other disadvantaged groups. 

These resources are significant for several reasons:

Family agency and partnership – HIPPY supports parents/carers to view themselves as their child’s first teacher. That aligns with the values of the Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework which emphasises children’s relationships with family and community.

Embedding routine and consistency in the home environment – Evidence shows that children’s access to a rich learning environment at home is a significant predictor of school readiness. The national evaluation of HIPPY in Australia found positive effects on home learning environments. 

Relational, culturally responsive delivery – The Australian program explicitly acknowledges and includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, and sites are delivered by many Indigenous‑controlled organisations. 

Supports transition to school – For children and families, the program builds familiarity with learning behaviours, self‑regulation, engagement with adults in learning roles all key to successful school transition.

For centre managers, educators and approved providers, the availability of these free resources raises a number of practice and policy‑considerations:

• Integration into service programming: Services access HIPPY materials to extend learning beyond the service environment into the home, strengthening continuity.
• Family support and outreach: The materials provide a mechanism for engaging families who might otherwise have limited connection with the service; offering them tangible, structured activities can build confidence and connection.
• Supervision and reflection: Educator reflection on how the materials are introduced, how families are supported in using them, and how the learning is reinforced within the service environment.
• Cultural and contextual adaptation: While the materials are structured, they can be adapted to local cultural, linguistic and community contexts, ensuring relevance and responsiveness.
• Tracking outcomes and participation: Monitor uptake, family participation, and how the home‑learning activities connect with service practice.

Based on current evidence and industry best‑practice, the following recommendations are offered for early childhood services:

• Introduce the resources proactively: At enrolment or orientation, provide families with information about the HIPPY free resources, emphasise the value of home‑learning routines, and link to service activities.
• Offer guided support: Schedule informal sessions or parent evenings to orient families to the materials, possibly demonstrate how to use the activity‑packs, and invite sharing of experiences.
• Link service curriculum to home‑learning themes: If the HIPPY materials emphasise early literacy, numeracy and story‑time routines, then the service’s own program can refer to this language, making visible the home‑to‑service connection.
• Monitor and reflect: Use simple indicators (e.g., how frequently families report using the activity packs, whether children talk about home sessions at the service) and reflect with the team on barriers and enablers.
• Ensure cultural responsiveness: Discuss with families how the materials reflect their language, culture and home context; adapt where needed, and consider translation/dual‑language support.
• Foster parent/carer leadership: Where possible, encourage families who are using the resources to share their success stories with other families (peer–to–peer engagement).

The free resources offered via HIPPY Australia represent a valuable asset for the early childhood sector. Support family engagement, home‑based learning, school readiness and stronger home–service partnerships. For services committed to high‑quality early childhood education and care, as outlined in the Education and Care Services National Law and the Education and Care Services National Regulations and reflected in the National Quality Standard, these resources can be skilfully leveraged to enhance children’s outcomes and reduce educational disadvantage.

By embedding the materials thoughtfully with educator support, family participation and cultural responsiveness services can make the most of this evidence‑based opportunity to strengthen children’s transitions, empower families, and build across home and service learning ecologies.