Education

Our mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. As we move into the second century of our work, we are advancing health and hope for everyone, everywhere.

Provides guidance and resources to assist those who want to quit smoking.

• Quitline Iowa (or call 800-QUIT-NOW)
• Resource Request Form
• Provider Resources (Google Drive Folder)
• My Life My Quit
• Quitlogix Education
• American Lung Association Education & Training

Certified lactation counselors offer a course that focuses on breastfeeding. Address first two hours after delivery, teaching your baby to suck, tips on milk production, reducing barriers experienced when breastfeeding and returning to work, nutrition and birth control for mothers nursing, and much more.

Works in partnership with public & accredited private schools to provide educational services, programs & resources for improving student achievement & building cultural competence. serve children from birth to age 21, families, educators, & communities.

Early childhood services and services for children with disabilities.

We invite you to apply for a Computer. Our main goal is to provide a refurbished computer gifted by our generous donors to help schools, low-income families, children in foster homes, nonprofits, the elderly, and disabled veterans in need.

We are volunteers creating beds and providing bedding for children ages 3-17 who have no bed in the Chariton and Knoxville, Iowa area.   

PCM School children that need beds

Animal-assisted therapy partnering with first responders and with community outreach efforts.

• Network of dentists. 
• Foundation Funding- Oral Health Fund and Wellness Community Fund, Smile Grants, Rethink Your Drink, Toothbrush donations
• Dental Education Loan Repayment Program
• Dental Education 

Gambling, substance misuse, employee assistance services, case management, professional development, & education/communication to youth, adults, & families.  EFR provides prevention education in schools.  Substance abuse and overdose education (narcan). 

24/7 Help Line: 515-244-6090 or 800-327-4692

Program designed to help children 5 & under or a pregnant mother to improve the overall health & well being of the family by setting goals 1:1 with a developmental specialist.

The most vital step in applying for federal grants, work-study, and loans for college is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form.

First Book is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that exclusively supports educators and program leaders serving children in need. 

First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise committed to ensuring educational equity by eliminating barriers to education for children living in under-resourced communities.

All those who work with children in need can join us. If you work or volunteer in a Title I-eligible school, early childhood program, afterschool program, literacy program, shelter, health clinic, faith-based organization, or any other organization where at least 70 percent of kids served come from low-income families, you are eligible to become a First Book member. 

Sign up is FREE and takes about 5 minutes!

At Food Bank of Iowa, we believe no one should have to go hungry. We gather and distribute more than 1.5 million pounds of nutritious food each month to 700 partners across 55 Iowa counties, providing assistance to those who need it most.

We recommend calling a pantry or partner before you go to check their hours and any requirements they may have.

FIND FOOD ASSISTANCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY https://foodbankiowa.org/find-food/

Learn about food programs for Jasper County Schools

Income-eligible children can have school lunch costs paid through the USDA. Please contact your child’s school in your area to get more information.

Head Start is a comprehensive early childhood program. At Head Start, the experience also includes health services and screenings, teaches good nutrition and social skills, supports parents, and promotes physical activity, so children improve their motor skills. It is a safe learning environment where children are encouraged to explore their world and learn the essential skills they will need to succeed later in life. 

The Healthy Habit All-Stars program has been designed to assist in educating children about public health topics. Animated videos are used to communicate complex health information to children in an age-appropriate manner. 

I-Smile is for kids and pregnant women, I-Smile at school is for preventative care for school-aged children.

• MICA’s School Sealant Program provides routine dental screenings to third and seventh-grade students throughout school districts in Boone, Marshall, Story, and Tama counties.
• Along with a routine screening, MICA’s dental hygienist applies a sealant to any tooth in need of one at no cost to the student’s family. These sealants act as a barrier between bacteria and the enamel of the teeth.
• According to the CDC, children receiving dental sealants in school-based programs have 60% fewer decayed surfaces in back teeth for up to 2-5 years after a single application.
• The I-Smile Dental Home Initiative is a program that helps Iowa’s children connect with dental services.
• I-Smile has four objectives: Improve the dental Medicaid program, recruit and retain dentists in underserved areas, incorporate dental clinics within rural hospitals, and improve the dental support system for families.

College Access Network, career planning, college planning, financial aid, school counselors, scholarship information,

IMPACT Community Action Partnership reduces the barriers and burdens that families in poverty experience by increasing access to essential needs. Assistance may be available for food and personal hygiene, utilities (heat, water, and cooling), housing (rent, deposit, and mortgage), and emergency needs. All services are available in the office, over the phone, and by a scheduled home visit. Several programs can also be accessed via online application, email, or postal mail. See our website or contact our team by phone or email to learn more. May offer assistance with emergency applications, such as those related to flood or weather damage events. 

Housing: 

• Utilities: LIHEAP (Low Income energy assistance program) help. Heat, water, and cooling. 
• Housing: Rent, deposit, and mortgage. 
• HOME ARP funds - allow eligible individuals with housing start-up costs (application fees, deposit, rent, and utility arrears).  This program is for those who have been recently released from incarceration in the last year.
• HOME CHAMP program -  a housing assistance initiative in Iowa, a collaboration between IMPACT Community Action Partnership and Wellpoint. It provides case management and direct financial assistance for housing costs to eligible Wellpoint members in Iowa. 
• Air Conditioner/Fan Program: limited supplies

Food Cards: IMPACT Resource Centers located in counties where we do not have a food pantry (Jasper, Marion, and Warren) offer limited access to food cards for local grocery stores. Please call 515-518-4770 to check on the availability of the cards.

RAYS Scholarship: for eligible low-income students to participate in sports, band, dance, etc.

We provide comprehensive support, victim services, resources, and events for LGBTQ and Allied youth. Serving over 10,000 youth annually, Iowa Safe Schools is the largest LGBTQ youth serving organization in the Midwest. 

Call or see website for programs including High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED, formally GED), ESL tutoring, and continuing education classes.

As a 501(c)(3) organization, Love for Red has been able to donate thousands of products to places and people in Iowa with help from your donations, contributions, and support.

Period poverty is defined as the "inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and education, including but not limited to sanitary products, washing facilities, and waste management."

Program is designed to help children 5 and under or a pregnant mother to improve the overall health and well-being for the family by setting goals and working 1:1 with a developmental specialist.

MICA is a private, non-profit organization serving children and families in central Iowa. Services include: Family Development Center, food pantry, and Head Start.

Greater Des Moines Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Program

The CAP program is a personal safety education program for schools. It uses a three-pronged approach to prevent child assault and maltreatment by presenting workshops for school staff, parents, and elementary school children. The program approaches prevention from a perspective of human dignity, mutual respect, and basic human rights. Everyone has the right to be safe, strong, and free. 

If you represent an elementary school in the greater Des Moines metro area and are interested in having the CAP Program visit your school, Contact Janelle Ballhagen at 515-241-6703 or janelle.ballhagen@unitypoint.org. 

Children's Workshop: This empowering approach to prevention explains that when another person tries to take away our rights to be safe, strong, and free - there are problems. Through interactive role-play, we demonstrate what the problems might look like. 

The role plays include situations such as: 

• Bullying (peer to peer assault) 
• Abduction (assault by a stranger) 
• Sexual Abuse (assault by a known person) 

The role plays are each done two times. In the first role-play, the situation is not resolved. Important safety skills are introduced or reviewed for each situation. In the second role play, the situation is resolved successfully. 

There is one final role play starring the classroom teacher. This role play shows what it might be like to talk about a problem with a trusted adult. After the children's workshop is review time in which kids can talk with a facilitator one-on-one. Review time participation is a choice made by the kids. It is always offered, but they don't have to do it. 

Staff education and parent education are approximately one-hour sessions done at the school before the children's workshop. The children's workshop takes place in the classroom and is done by a team of three trained facilitators. The children's workshop is approximately 50-60 minutes in the classroom and about 30 minutes of review time after the classroom presentations. 

Safety Concepts Presented

Definition of basic human rights:  

• Turning to a peer for support 
• Safe or trusted adults 
• Definition of a stranger 
• Self-protection skills (kicking, yelling, elbowing) 
• Telling vs. tattling 
• When assault happens, it is important to tell a safe adult and keep telling until someone listens 
• Tricks used by unsafe adults or peers 
• When assault happens to a child it is NEVER the child's fault 
• It is OK to say no to a grown-up or peer when they make us feel uncomfortable 

Overview for School Staff Overivew for Parents/Caregivers

Provide assistance in helping community members with making decisions that affect their family, community, business, or farm by providing unbiased, research based information and education.

Provides education on what to expect, what happens in your body, how to care for yourself and your baby after delivery, breastfeeding, and so much more. Call for schedule.

Language and literacy development of children 0-5.

Young people are more likely to grow up successfully when they experience developmental relationships with important people in their lives. Developmental relationships are close connections through which young people discover who they are, cultivate abilities to shape their own lives, and learn how to engage with and contribute to the world around them. Search Institute has identified five elements—expressed in 20 specific actions—that make relationships powerful in young people’s lives.