University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
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To ListenCommunity Service Programs

bullet Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)

playgroundA home-based, school readiness and literacy program for families with children from 3-5 years of age that uses home visiting for families living in the District of Columbia's Wards 7 and 8 to enhance parents' effectiveness in positively influencing their children's development. The program uses the curriculum from HIPPY USA. This effort is being conducted in partnership with the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative and the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative. These two organizations are part of the city-wide Healthy Families/Thriving Communities Collaborative that have been established to increase the capacity for communities to address the multiple and complex issues that lead to child abuse and neglect. For more information contact Marisa Brown, (brownm4@georgetown.edu or 202-687-8907) or go to HIPPY USA http://www.hippyusa.org/

bullet Parent-Child Home Program

The Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development (GUCCHD) has received funding from the Government of the District of Columbia, Department of Human Services, Early Care and Education Administration to implement the Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) in Wards 7 and 8 of the District of Columbia. The PCHP is an early childhood literacy program that focuses on building the skills of parents and other care takers as their child’s first and best teachers. Home visitors are hired from the community to be served to make twice weekly visits to the home and introduce books and toys to promote early learning.

The GUCCHD will replicate the PCHP program for a two-year period with the goal of being certified by the national PCHP office. Program implementation also requires data collection to help support the already extensive body of research that demonstrates the benefits of the PCHP into the middle school years.

In implementing this project the GUCCHD will work together with community partners with whom we share interests and a history of collaboration. This includes but is not limited to the Healthy Families/Thriving Communities Collaboratives, the Family Empowerment Center, D.C. Public Schools, the Department of Mental Health, the Addiction, Prevention and Recovery Administration, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and the Child and Family Services Agency.

The targeted population is families participating in the New Communities Projects and young mothers participating in the New Heights initiative for teen parents. The project will serve up to 25 children in the first year and up to 50 children in the second year. The children will range in ages from 16 months through 2 years of age. Families will receive referrals to other early childhood programs such as child care, early intervention, head start, and health care and community-based social services.

Contact information:
Project Director, Marisa C. Brown 202-687-8907, brownm4@georgetown.edu
Project Coordinator, Tiffany Knight 202-687-8617

bullet Supporting Children and Families Towards Bright Futures

A program for families living in homeless shelter in the District of Columbia that supports and increases parenting and advocacy skills by utilizing community services. A pediatric nurse specializing in developmental screening and mental health conducts mental health screening and referral for parents, developmental and mental health screening and referral for children, health assessments and referral. The program also provides health, mental health and nutritional counseling using the Bright Futures guidelines and instructs family members in how to stimulate their children's development via age-appropriate activities. Contact Donna Shelly (shellydm@georgetown.edu or 202-687-2095) for more information.

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