HIPPY HOLDS JUNE GRADUATION — BY ZOOM

If you are a member of National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section and a HIPPY volunteer, the month of June is very important. HIPPY children, with whom we have worked for three years, are graduating.

They’re all excited about wearing those strange things called caps and gowns. You can see the smiles on their faces. There’s a lot of talk about graduation. The special night arrives, and the Bergen Family Center is all decked out. All the parents and teachers are happy and cameras are flashing. There are lots of speeches and clapping. So much fun!

Oh no! Not this year! What would happen to our HIPPY graduation? Well, it became a Zoom affair, and it was wonderful. It was so much fun. It was organized by Mitch Schonfeld, the CEO of BFC; Liz Corsini, the Vice President and Program Director of BFC; Rachele Ventrone, who is the Director of Home Visiting programs of BFC/Family Success Center; and the staff of BFC and HIPPY.

There were even special guests. First Lady of NJ Tammy Murphy and Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle (District 37) both spoke eloquently of their relationship with HIPPY. We volunteers were delighted to attend, and once again the quality of the HIPPY program was a beacon in the June sky.

National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section (NCJW BCS) co-founded HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters), a three-year pre-kindergarten program with the Bergen Family Center in 1994. NCJW BCS volunteers provide assistance with monthly workshops that teach the skills necessary to help fathers and mothers learn to become their children’s first teachers.

For more information please contact Joan Schnuer at  polten@optonline.net or (201) 833-1006 or Edie Kaplan at ediekaplan@gmail.com or (201) 461-2724.

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