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 eighth year that the Wilson-Wood Foundation has provided support – totaling $120,000 – 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 2026, HIPPY served 134 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, 100% of HIPPY children, ages 3-5, improved their Ages and Stages Questionnaire Scores, and all of the children transitioning to kindergarten passed the school readiness assessment. In the previous year, HIPPY participants read nearly 40,000 books.

“Since 1992, HIPPY has proven how important reading is in building vocabulary, fostering listening skills, and developing the attention span needed to be prepared for school, while encouraging 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 ever 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.”

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 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.