Fitzroy HIPPY graduation celebrates 25 years of supporting families

Local families were front and centre at this year’s Fitzroy HIPPY graduation on December 4, as local Member for Melbourne Sarah Witty joined parents, children and staff to celebrate another successful year of the nationally recognised early-learning program.

While the graduation took place in Fitzroy, the program’s reach across inner Melbourne is significant. Fitzroy HIPPY – the first HIPPY site established in Australia 25 years ago – continues to support families in Carlton, Collingwood, Richmond and Fitzroy.

Speaking to the children, Ms Witty praised their multilingual skills, telling them they were already “smarter than the PM” in at least one respect.

“With Somali, Oromo, Arabic and Tigrinya among the languages spoken at home, you are already ahead of Anthony Albanese, who only speaks one language,” she said. “You could be the PM of Australia one day.”

For many families in Carlton’s public housing estates, English is a second or third language, making HIPPY’s model – which empowers parents to be their child’s first teacher – especially valuable. The free, play-based, at-home program supports families to build early literacy and learning habits, so children are ready to thrive when they begin school.

One mother, who did not wish to be named, spoke about how transformative the program had been.

“Where I grew up, we didn’t have a culture of reading books to young children,” she said. “HIPPY became a bridge between two different cultures. It helped me bring my tradition together with new learning opportunities for my children.”

The graduation brought together Fitzroy HIPPY coordinator Rebecca Wickham, program manager Marisa Pizzini, head of HIPPY Australia Claire Seddon and BSL’s HIPPY senior manager Siska Frederick, who reflected on the program’s enduring impact.
Ms Frederick said more than 28,500 families had now taken part nationally.

“Parents, children, and sites continue to grow and thrive through the program – and its 25 years show its success,” she said.

The Fitzroy ceremony follows the North Melbourne HIPPY program graduation on October 31, where 20 local families celebrated the milestone.

Today, HIPPY operates at 100 sites across Australia, including 50 focused on First Nations communities, with more than 80 languages spoken among participating families.