Wilson-Wood Foundation funds early education for area families

The Wilson-Wood Foundation recently awarded a grant of $15,000 to Safe Children Coalition (SCC) for its HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) program. The grant will help area families with young children to prepare their children for success in school and beyond.

This is the seventh year that the Wilson-Wood Foundation has provided support – totaling $105,000 – for the HIPPY program.

The HIPPY program helps parents to provide educational enrichment for preschool-age children and is designed to remove barriers to participation in education. The program is offered to all participants free of charge so that disadvantaged children can enjoy future success; the goals of HIPPY are consistent with the mission of the Wilson-Wood Foundation, which aims to do good deeds in health, education, and human services.

In fiscal year 2025, HIPPY served over 100 children with economic, social and educational challenges in Sarasota County. Every HIPPY family is TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) eligible and faces overwhelming poverty. Childhood poverty is associated with higher rates of academic failure, grade retention, and school dropout rates as well as teen parenthood, smoking, and illicit drug use. Children growing up in poverty are also more likely to have employment-based difficulties as adults.

The good news is that research shows that the above outcomes are preventable. HIPPY’s evidence-based model positions the program to help increase the school readiness of children, giving them the opportunity for early learning success, and beyond.

In the most recent monitoring of the program, nearly 96% of HIPPY children, ages 3-5, improved their Ages and Stages Questionnaire Scores, 94% of children transitioning to kindergarten passed the school readiness assessment, and 100% of parents surveyed indicated that the program helped their child(ren) to learn skills to succeed in school.

“Since 1992, HIPPY has encouraged participation from local parents who might otherwise not feel empowered or equipped to get involved in a meaningful way with their children’s education,” said SCC President and CEO Brena Slater. “We are grateful to the Wilson-Wood Foundation for its continued support of our HIPPY program to help the children of low-income families to succeed in school and break the cycle of poverty.”

In FY25, SCC expects: to serve 200 parents and children with the greatest economic, social and educational challenges in Sarasota County; that 88% of HIPPY children ages 3-5 will improve their Narrative Language Measure scores; that 93% of HIPPY children transitioning to kindergarten will pass the school readiness assessment; and that 90% of parents served will indicate that the program has helped their child learn skills to succeed in school.

The Wilson-Wood Foundation, which is based in Nokomis, Fla., provides funding annually for numerous organizations serving children, families and social services. In 2025, the foundation has granted a total of $450,000 to 29 nonprofit organizations serving Sarasota and Manatee counties.

For more about Safe Children Coalition, visit sccfl.org.

About Safe Children Coalition, Inc.
Safe Children Coalition, Inc. (SCC) serves as the lead agency for community-based care for Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. SCC is a collaboration between local community agencies who provide services to children and families in need. SCC is committed to protecting children, strengthening families, and building community. The core functions provided by SCC include child welfare case management, foster care, adoption, independent living, prevention, diversion, quality management, and support services. Visit sccfl.org or call 941-371-4799.