Story County Reads

All Aboard for Kids
Ames Chamber of Commerce
Ames Community Preschool Center
BooST Together for Children
Boys & Girls Clubs of Story County
Camp Fire Heart of Iowa
Center for Creative Justice
ChildServe - Ames
Drake University Head Start
Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa
Iowa Reading Corps
ISU Extension & Outreach
Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI)
Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA)
Raising Readers in Story County
The Community Academy
University Community Childcare
YSS

Ames Community School District
Ballard Community School District
Collins-Maxwell Community School District
Colo-NESCO Community School District
Gilbert Community School District
Nevada Community School District
Roland-Story Community School District
Des Moines Area Community College –
 Ames Hunziker Center
Iowa State University

Danfoss
Fortress Insurance
IowaWORKS
Story County (Ext Ops & Board of Supervisors)

Research has shown the enormous impact that positive parenting practices can have on a child’s social, emotional, and intellectual development, particularly during the early years. Story County Reads partners help parents develop the toolbox of skills they need to set their children up for success!

Among the available Story County parenting education programs are:

• County libraries – Parenting circles, baby and toddler storytimes, and more 
• Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
• LSI’s Parents-as-Teachers, The Nest, and other early childhood support programs
• Mid-Iowa Community Action Early Head Start
• Raising Readers’ programs including Small Talk and Story Pals

Story County has plenty of resources, like museums, libraries, parks, and playgrounds, all of which help make children’s lives better.

Children become successful learners when they are both academically and emotionally prepared for kindergarten. The first few years are critical to help young children navigate and transition to a variety of settings and situations, while developing their emotional skills.

There are many programs and resources in Story County to support children to prepare for kindergarten. These include the following:

High-quality, accredited early childhood education centers – The following providers also offer scholarship and/or sliding fee scale support to ensure childcare is affordable and accessible:

• Ames Community Preschool Center (ACPC)
• ChildServe (Ames)
• Story Time Childcare (Maxwell)
• University Community Childcare (Ames)

Preschool-only programs for income-eligible families:

• Drake University Head Start (Ames)
• Mid-Iowa Community Action Head Start (Nevada)

Collectively, we work to support learning both in and out of the classroom. Our partners fund and host Iowa Reading Corps members (evidence-based reading support in local elementary schools), provide school-based mentoring, and offer a range of enrichment opportunities before and after school and on non-school days.

To learn more about locally available in-school support, please visit:

• Iowa Reading Corps 
• YSS Mentoring Program
• YWCA “Girls Power” and “College Bound” Mentoring programs
   

To learn more about locally-available out-of-school programs and support, please visit:

• Local libraries offering tutoring programs, reading challenges, book clubs, other enrichment activities for children and teens, and more.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Story County (Ames and Nevada)
• Camp Fire Heart of Iowa
• Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa
• Raising Readers’ Reading Buddies program (for K-3)
• The Community Academy
• YSS
   

To learn more about the importance of grade-level reading, find additional resources, and beyond, visit the Campaign for Grade Level Reading at https://gradelevelreading.net/

Our partners offer programming throughout the summer, recognizing that this helps stem the loss of school-year learning. These programs includes nature-based and STEM-focused camps, camps for children with autism, literacy-focused camps, and beyond, plus a host of enrichment activities.

Check out the 2025 summer camp opportunities in Story County and learn more about available financial assistance. 

If you know of camps that should be added to our list, please email smansell@uwstory.org.

We recognize that good health and the ability to learn go hand-in-hand. Our partners work to address food insecurity through community-supported initiatives such as food pantries and free summer meals for children. We also work to ensure that learners with disabilities and other special healthcare or learning needs are included in educational opportunities.

Services for Individuals with Disabilities:

To learn more about ways to include children with disabilities, we recommend the following resources:

• All Aboard for Kids - local nonprofit serving children and youth with autism.
• ASK Resource Center - State of Iowa's Parent Training and Information Center for families of children with disabilities. 
• Child Mind Institute - Dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need to thrive.
• ChildServe – Meets the unique needs of children with developmental delays, disabilities, injuries and other special healthcare needs.
   

Food Programs for Infants and Children:

• BackPack Program – Bags of weekend food, contact your child’s teacher or the school counselor for more information.
• Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) – A program for in-home childcare providers to receive meal reimbursements in Story County and beyond. Contact Kris at MICA, cacfp@micaonline.org or 641-328-3261.
• Iowa Food Assistance/SNAP -You can apply online, by paper, or over the phone by calling 1-855-944-3663, Monday thru Friday, 8 am – 5 pm.
• Women-Infants-Children Program (WIC) – This program provides supplementary food and nutrition education for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, up to 6-month post-partum and infants & children up to age 5. Visit with MICA in Ames at 515-232-9020 or 1-800-890-8230.
   

To see a complete list of food support programs for children, please visit United Way’s Story County Hunger Collaboration page

If attendance is irregular, it is hard to benefit from educational opportunities. We work with a host of community partners to identify and reduce barriers to attendance like transportation, limited English proficiency, special needs, and more.

Find handouts, videos, data and more on positive engagement, actionable data, and building capacity online at Attendance Works. 

Story County College Access Network (SCCAN), funded by the Bureau of Iowa College Aid, Department of Education, has been working since 2019 to ensure that underserved learners have access to information about post-secondary options and resources. We see education as a pathway to financial security, well-being, civic engagement, and beyond.