Childcare Resources and Finder

• Connects families with quality early care and education options and facilitates professional development opportunities for the adults who care for and educate our youngest Iowans. Nurse consultants are available for daycares. 
• Parent Referral Hotline: 855-244-5301
• Community Development Specialist: 515-401-4957
• Provides consultation and training for childcare staff through our Child Care Consultant for that area.                                               
• Childcare consultant: 641-820-1923.

• Childcare Assistance: Helps pay for childcare while parents or caretakers work, attend school, look for employment or are unable to care for children due to medical reasons.
• Families First: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) program to help families stay together and prevent the need for foster care.
• Parent Partners: An innovative social work practice. It is unique because it celebrates individuals that have overcome obstacles through change, recovery, and accountability. Parent Partners are advocates for families. They also hold families accountable by through their case plan goals.
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): An entitlement program that provides monthly benefits to assist low-income households in purchasing the food, they need to maintain adequate nutritional levels.

The Child Care Search Tool displays childcare providers with vacancies by geography or along a designated driving route. With this tool, Iowan’s can conveniently identify childcare providers near them or between their home and office.

This tool also offers essential information including IQ4K ratings, age filters, hours of operation, and subsidy acceptance.

For the best experience, please use a home computer or tablet to view the data within this tool.

Keywords: childcare, child care, daycare, babysitter, childcare, kids, Iowa Child Care Connect

Programs, resources, & educational opportunities: Agriculture & Natural Resources, Business & Industry, Communities, Continuing Education, Families, & 4H & Youth Development. 

Food and family classes and childcare training. Gardening. 4H, 

Iowa’s 1st Five Healthy Mental Development Initiative builds partnerships between physician practices and public service providers to enhance high-quality well-child care. 1st Five promotes the use of standardized developmental screening tools that support healthy mental development for young children.

By using a standardized tool for all children, providers are able to identify children at-risk for developmental concerns, and link those children and their families with community-based resources to improve access to appropriate follow-up care. Primary care providers play a key role in supporting optimal healthy mental development in children. Therefore, primary care providers can play a critical role in providing developmental screenings.