Johnson County Social Services manages and supports several funding sources, policy boards, and community groups all working together to support children and families in Johnson County. Activities primarily involve identifying community strengths and service gaps, creating networking opportunities for service providers, coordinating funding, and facilitating family/youth/community participation in planning activities. The Youth & Families Services division of Social Services also helps families access the direct services and supports listed below and manages several ARPA-funded early education projects. Additional information and application links can be found below.
For more information about Youth & Family Services in Johnson County Social Services Department, email Laurie Nash at [email protected] or call 319-356-6090.
Direct Services & Supports
Quality Improvement Grants offer targeted financial support to registered child development homes and licensed child care
centers in Johnson County enhance program quality, expand learning opportunities, and support healthier, safe environments for young children. Current one-time opportunities include:
- Infant Equipment for Registered Child Development Homes
- Outdoor Play Surfacing for Registered Child Development Homes
- EC-PBIS Professional Development Support for Licensed Child Care Centers
- Quality Improvement Mini-Grants for Licensed Child Care Centers and Registered Child Development Homes
For more information about Infant Equipment, Outdoor Play Surfacing, and Quality Improvement Mini-Grants contact:
Laura Lage, 4Cs
319-338-7684 or [email protected]
Refer to FY26 JCE QI Allowable and Non-Allowable Expenditures for more information.
For information about Professional Development, contact [email protected]
Care Coordination for coordinated intake and referral services for families with children age 0-5 years are provided through Community Empowerment. Families may receive help to apply for State Child Care Assistance, Head Start, Parents As Teachers Home Visitation, and other community-based programs or to enroll in early education scholarship programs. Email Empowerment at [email protected] or call 319-356-6090.
Early Education Scholarships help support early education tuition for income-eligible children in quality rated programs. School Ready Scholarships are for preschool children age 3-5 years on September 15.
Focus On Youth Fund provides financial support for youth and families to address emotional and behavioral health challenges. Provides limited assistance for expenses not covered by insurance or for those who are uninsured. Eligible expenses include evaluations, prescriptions, therapy, Behavioral Intervention Services, and third-party insurance co-pays.
Child Care Assistance Incentive Program
Child Care Assistance Incentive Program helps to bridge the gap between state reimbursement for Child Care Assistance (CCA) and the provider’s actual private pay tuition rate. Enrolled child care providers may bill for up to $300 per month for each CCA slot occupied by an infant or toddler (age 0-47 months). This program helps child care businesses provide more opportunities to Johnson County families who qualify for Child Care Assistance and makes it easier for these families to access quality child care services.
Policy Boards and Coalitions
Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Committee addresses community-wide DMC issues in the child welfare, education, and juvenile justice systems through data tracking and reporting, community education, and policy & practice change.
Empowerment/Early Childhood Iowa
Empowerment/Early Childhood Iowa Area Board is a collaborative group that includes citizen board members and community agency partners that address the needs of children and families from prenatal through 5 years. The JCE/ECIA Board focus is to remove barriers to a safe and healthy community by identifying needs in education, health, and human services; maintaining, expanding, and coordinating resources to address those needs; promoting and facilitating collaboration; and evaluating and continuously improving efforts to advance the vision.
Juvenile Justice Youth Development
Juvenile Justice Youth Development (JJYD) Policy Board promotes positive system changes, identifies community needs, and initiates local solutions that promote positive youth development and prevent/reduce juvenile delinquency. The JJYD Policy Board provides oversight for local implementation of a state pilot project for Juvenile Pre-Charge Diversion Coordination and Expansion.