Easterseals RGV - ECI

The focus of the HIPPY program is to encourage parents to prepare their children for school. We provide them with books and a curriculum that will help their children once they reach school to know their letters and their numbers and their shapes and be prepared. It also gives parents the confidence to be engaged in their children's education. We work with families during home visits. We provide activities that the whole family can participate in. We also help with parenting support strategies and overall family well-being. We really want to encourage healthy and safe homes for children to learn.

His name is Reynaldo Guajardo. Rey has severe food allergies. And I did not feel safe for him to go into public school or preschool at such a young age because he was not able to verbalize for himself what he can and cannot eat. In an anaphylactic situation, it can be life or death. So it's very difficult to manage those type of allergies, especially in a school setting with young children, because his specific food allergy is dairy. I was fortunate enough to find the HIPPY program and be able to teach him at home and use the resources that were provided to me to help him learn and develop and prepare him for elementary school.

A friend of mine told me about her parent educator and she pushed me to get enrolled into the Easter Seals program. My oldest was around 2 years old and I was pregnant of the second child. This is how it started. The parents as teachers program promotes early development, learning, and health of children by providing one-on-one support for parents from pregnancy through age 5. Parents receive individualized home visits, parenting resources, and the support of a parent educator.

From the very first visit, I felt heard, respected, and hopeful for my son’s future. I’ll never forget the emotional moment when he sat up on his own for the first time.