Our programs
Iowa AEYC offers a variety of programs to help early childhood professionals build their skills and provide high quality education for young children.
The latest from Iowa AEYC
If you haven’t done it yet, make sure you get out and VOTE today! Making your voice heard, especially in regards to early childhood education, is extremely important.
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Just as we encourage professional development in the early childhood field, so too we engage in professional development as staff at Iowa AEYC!
Nearly half of our staff have attended a professional development conference in the last few weeks – here’s who went to what conference (in photo order):
• One of our WAGE$ Counselors and our Events Coordinator attended the local Women Lead Change conference, where they were empowered as women in the workforce.
• The CDA® team attended the Early Educators Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. Lisa Hajek, one of our CDA Navigators and conference attendees, said this about her experience: “This was my first year attending the annual conference and I was not disappointed, with the amount of preparation, information, and networking that I was able to obtain. Knowing how others are helping center and home provider staff obtain their CDA is a great way to help grow our organization.”
• The ECQuIP team, along with three ECQuIP center directors, attended the Elevate Conscious Discipline Conference in Las Vegas to learn more about Conscious Discipline and its many use cases and benefits.
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I so would love to attend one of the Consious Discipline conferences someday! So glad to see so many attended!
We are hiring!!
If you’re looking for a new role in the early childhood profession, we would encourage you to apply to be a T.E.A.C.H. Counseling Specialist! Our T.E.A.C.H. Counselors work alongside early childhood professionals looking to earn more education in the field. This is a full-time position at our West Des Moines office with great benefits. For more information on the position and the application, please visit our website: iowaaeyc.org/about-us/employment
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Our third Fall Institute award winner was one of our very own former staff, Pam Ellis! Pam was the recipient of the Children’s Champion Award, in major part because of the phenomenal work she did with the T.E.A.C.H. scholarship program. Here’s what her recommenders had to say about her:
“Pam is the kind of person who goes above and beyond in everything that she does. It didn’t matter whether she was working with a participant or completing a large, complicated project: she gave it her all. She has a never-give-up attitude when it comes to the needs of all children and the teachers who work with them.
Pam built strong bonds with hundreds of T.E.A.C.H. scholarship recipients, inspiring many to stay in college when the journey was challenging. She made sure to contact those who were struggling to give them the extra time they needed to problem-solve or just talk. Pam has a keen sense of understanding the steps needed to move an organization or situation forward. Her leadership is respected by those within her work and the education field. Some of her major contributions include 15 trips to the national T.E.A.C.H. & WAGE$ conference, helping over 630 scholarship recipients, processing $2.6 million of tuition, and supporting 338 degrees.
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Pam Is amazing! Congratulations Pam Ellis!!
Pam is amazing! So deserving!
Yahoooooo! Congrats to Pam! She is the BEST!!
Have you heard???
We have several opening Governing Board positions for the next election cycle, and they make great opportunities to gain leadership experience in the early childhood field! Elections for these positions will be held in February 2025, with the positions beginning in July 2025. You can apply yourself or nominate someone else for the positions of Vice President or Treasurer – just be sure to do it before November 21st!
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This photo isn’t quite from the time when WAGE$ went statewide, but it tells an important part of the story!
When WAGE$ went statewide in 2021, it was a huge change – but one we’re grateful for every day. We went from 38 eligible counties to 99, and as we continue to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of WAGE$ in Iowa, the change to statewide services is a major part of that journey!
Here’s what our WAGE$ Coordinator, Lauren, has to say about it:
"The growth we’ve seen with WAGE$ since moving statewide is phenomenal. We went from paying around 250 providers each year to paying that many each month! WAGE$ is making a real difference to early care and education providers around the state, and I am so proud to be a part of this program and its development."
One more CDA down, a lifetime of education to go!
Congratulations to Courtney from Kids’ Corner Daycare, Tasha from Turnbull Child Development Center, and Chanda from Shea’s Learning Days Child Development Center for earning their CDAs! Every step forward in your education is a step forward for the children you serve.
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How do I apply? Do you guys do it at ur facility? I want to get my CDA
At our Fall Institute, we did a photo contest where we challenged our attendees to take selfies with others for a chance to win a FREE one-day registration at our Spring Institute in May – here are the winners! Congratulations to Anna Birkennoltz and Gloria Clark!
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Awesome- what a treat!
We want to highlight another one of our Fall Institute award winners! Blanca Collins (left) received the Educator of the Year Award at our Fall Institute earlier this month, and she is truly a worthy recipient! Here’s what her nominators had to say about her:
“Blanca goes above and beyond for her students. She constantly adapts to new situations and shows her love for not only her students, but their families and her coworkers. She is always striving to be better for her students and herself. Blanca always puts her students first before anything else. Her passion and joy is something to be so proud of. She has the great gift of being creative in any situation and turning it into a positive opportunity for herself and the children around her. She has a passion for children and gets joy from watching them learn a new skill. She is someone who is actively looking for ways to relate learning with life. Blanca loves to learn new skills and then utilizes them or shares them with families. Blanca’s ability to connect with different people in any environment is admirable. She is a genuine person who has dedicated her life to helping children feel protected, loved, and confident to take on new challenges.”
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Adored Blanca’s acceptance speech. A true gift to CtK (her church program) and the community she lives in.
Congratulations, Bianca! 👏👏
We have a lot of awesome staff here at Iowa AEYC, so today, we wanted to highlight Kayla!
Kayla is our T.E.A.C.H. Coordinator, and she’s been with Iowa AEYC since April 2022. She has her Master’s of Education from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and did her undergrad at Iowa State. She’s an incredible addition to our team, and here’s what she has to say about being the T.E.A.C.H. Coordinator:
“What I love about being a T.E.A.C.H. Coordinator is helping early educators reach their education goals debt free. It’s always a joy to see recipients with a CDA goal but then continue on to earn a bachelor’s degree. I also enjoy working with a great team of people who all want to help the early childhood workforce."
If you’re interested in working with Kayla and the rest of the fantastic T.E.A.C.H. team, we have an opening for a T.E.A.C.H. Counselor! Be sure to apply on our website by the end of the day on October 25 to be considered.
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With the end of the calendar year approaching, we are excited to share out the 2024 T.E.A.C.H. and WAGE$ Annual Report!
2024 was a huge year for the T.E.A.C.H., WAGE$, and CDA® Navigator programs, with records broken and countless early care and education professionals supported in their education, workplaces, and lives.
One such story, which is featured in our report, comes from Allie McGannon (pictured), Director at Little Cupcakes Child Care in Cedar Rapids. Allie has been a recipient of T.E.A.C.H., WAGE$, and CDA® Navigator services, and here’s what she has to say about her growth: “Now I feel like I could help someone else who is trying to earn their CDA. It’s a ripple effect; the more people that earn their CDA, the more and more people have that support system to complete theirs.
You can read the full annual report at: iowaaeyc.org/programs/teach/updates-forms/
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We have a new staff member!
Just over a month ago, Annie, our new Administrative Specialist, joined our team! She comes to us with several years’ worth of experience at the YMCA of Greater Des Moines. She started the week of our move, followed by the Fall Institute (two major projects!), and she is settling in wonderfully. We’re so grateful to have her at Iowa AEYC!
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Welcome Annie! IAAEYC is lucky to have your talent.
Welcome, Annie. We are happy you joined our team!
Welcome Annie! We’re so glad you’re here!
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