Begun in Israel in 1960, the HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) program is a family support, parent-focused, early childhood literacy program. This book compiles 17 evaluation studies of the program, from researchers and practitioners in 7 countries. The studies are organized around five themes: exploring theoretical perspectives; examining HIPPY's impact on children, on families, and on communities; and navigating the research process. Each chapter is followed by suggestions for the practitioner on how to integrate the evaluation findings into the daily life of the program. The chapters are as follows: (1) "Ready or Not: One Home-Based Response to the School Readiness Dilemma" (Miriam Westheimer); (2) "Principles of Child Development, Learning, and Partnerships: Where Does the HIPPY Program Fit?" (Sue Bredekamp); (3) "Understanding HIPPY in the Context of Contemporary Perspectives on Development, Risk and Intervention" (Lucy Le Mare); (4) "The Impact of HIPPY on School Performance in Third and Sixth Grades" (Robert H. Bradley and Barbara Gilkey); (5) "A Promising Start: An Evaluation of the HIPPY Program in New Zealand" (Galia BarHava-Monteith, Miki Harre, and Jeff Field); (6) "The Use of Item Response Theory To Develop a Measure of First-Grade Readiness" (Thomas P. Gumpel); (7) "Preschool Children in the HATAF and HIPPY Programs: Feedback from Preschool Teachers" (Drora Kfir and Irit Elroy); (8) "Program Effectiveness and Parent Involvement in HIPPY (Amy J.L. Baker, Chaya S. Piotrkowski, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn); (9) "The Vancouver HIPPY Project: Preliminary Evaluation Findings from a Multicultural Program" (Lucy Le Mare and Karyn Audet); (10) "Maternal Scaffolding Behavior within the HIPPY Context" (Wanda Roundtree); (11) "An Evaluation of a HIPPY Early Intervention Program: Can Parents Benefit Too?" (Galia BarHava-Monteith, Niki Harre, and Jeff Field); (12) "On Hugh McLean's Evaluation of HIPPY Outcomes in South Africa" (Miram Westheimer); (13) "Reaching Out and Making a Difference: The Context of Meaning in a Home-Based Preschool Program" (David W. Britt); (14) "The Mutually Reinforcing Roles of Volunteers and Professionals: HIPPY as a Case in Point" (Oliver Schuberth); (15) "HIPPY Program's Influence on Establishing Home-School Partnerships and Enhancing Children's School Readiness" (Pia Rebello Britto and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn); (16) "The Florida HIPPY Recipe for Research" (Lois-Lynn S. Deuel, Mary Lindsey, and Dabaram Rampersad); (17) "Evaluating HIPPY in Texas: Process and Progress (Arminta Lee Jacobson); and (18) "HIPPY Implementation and Research in Australia: Progress and Prospect" (Suzanne Dean, Cynthia Leung, Tim Gilley, and Jacqueline Grady). (HTH)