Growing Together: A Year of Supporting Families Across Southwest Iowa

July 2026

As fiscal year 2026 comes to an end, we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside children, families, organizations, and communities throughout Southwest Iowa. Whether connecting families to resources, supporting caregivers through home visiting and Parent Cafés, providing professional development, awarding funds to strengthen community organizations like childcare programs and libraries, or bringing partners together around a common purpose, every effort is focused on helping children, families, and communities thrive.

None of this work happens alone. It is made possible through strong partnerships with families, schools, healthcare providers, childcare providers, libraries, community organizations, local businesses, and many others who share a commitment to building stronger communities. Together, we are creating opportunities for children to grow, families to succeed, organizations to flourish, and communities to become even stronger.

As you look through this year's highlights, we hope you'll see more than numbers. Behind every referral is a family finding support. Behind every home visit is a parent gaining confidence. Behind every training is a professional better equipped to serve others. Behind every dollar awarded is a community organization expanding opportunities for children and families. And behind every partnership is a shared commitment to making Southwest Iowa a place where every child can thrive.

Thriving Families Alliance

Thriving Families Alliance (TFA) continued to invest in children, families, and communities throughout Southwest Iowa by supporting programs that strengthen early childhood, improve family well-being, and expand access to essential services.

In fiscal year 2026, the Thriving Families Alliance Early Childhood Iowa board awarded 47 contracts totaling $1,510,026.00 to 17 childcare providers, 4 literacy projects, 3 car seat safety projects, 3 community awareness projects, 1 preschool oral health project, and many others. Additionally, through Iowa Child Abuse Prevention Program funds, $97,000 was awarded to support children and families through family support programs in Mills County.  In October, Thriving Families Alliance awarded $639,000.00 to our Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visitation (MIECHV) program covering 5 counties in our area.

These investments reflect our commitment to ensuring children and families have access to the programs, services, and opportunities they need to thrive, both today and for years to come.

Child and Family Resource Network

The Child & Family Resource Network (CFRN) continued to connect families with the resources and support they need while strengthening partnerships throughout southwest Iowa.

This year, CFRN staff delivered four presentations to community organizations and professionals to increase awareness of the program and strengthen referral partnerships. These presentations helped build relationships with agencies that work directly with families, ensuring more caregivers learn about available resources and can access support when they need it most.

CFRN also received 277 referrals and hosted 12 Parent Cafés for families across the region. Parent Café topics included Building Confidence, Building Brains & Memories This Summer, Building Readers, Growing Futures, and Raising Resilient Kids.

While each Parent Café offers practical information about parenting and child development, one of the greatest benefits is the opportunity for caregivers to connect with one another. Through meaningful conversations and shared experiences, families build relationships, encourage one another, and often discover opportunities to stay connected within their communities. These connections help reduce isolation and strengthen the Protective Factor of Social Connections.

Whether through a presentation, a referral, or a Parent Café, every connection helps ensure children and families have the support, resources, and relationships they need to thrive.

Interested in learning more? Whether you'd like to learn about family support programs, Parent Cafés, coordinated intake, or explore ways we can work together to better serve children and families, we'd love to hear from you. Contact Carrie Powders at cpowders@thrivingfamiliesalliance.org.

Northwest and Southwest Iowa Regional Parents as Teachers Affiliates

The Southwest Iowa Regional Parents as Teachers (PAT) Affiliate experienced an exciting year of growth and collaboration. With the addition of Audubon, Carroll, and Guthrie counties, the affiliate expanded its reach and transitioned to two regional affiliates, strengthening support for families across southwest Iowa.

This regional model has created greater consistency in family support services. Through shared training, reflective supervision, coaching, and ongoing support, Family Support Professionals receive the guidance they need to provide meaningful home visits while ensuring families have a consistent experience, regardless of where they live. The affiliate structure has also strengthened collaboration among partner agencies and created new opportunities to learn from and support one another.

Throughout the year, Family Support Professionals in the Northwest Iowa Regional PAT Affiliate served 85 families, hosted 23 group connections, made 334 connections to community resources and 96% of families set at least one goal.

In the Southwest Iowa Regional Parents as Teachers Affiliate the Family Support Professionals served 109 families, made 1,107 connections to community resources, hosted 41 group connections and 98% of families set at least one goal.  Both affiliates achieved all 21 essential requirements set by Parents as Teachers. 

Through regular home visits, they partnered with families to strengthen parenting skills, support healthy child development, build strong parent-child relationships, and connect families with the resources they needed to reach their goals. Group connections complemented these visits by providing caregivers opportunities to learn from one another, build social connections, and find encouragement through shared experiences.

Most importantly, this work allows our Family Support Professionals to focus on what they do best: building trusting relationships with families, supporting caregivers as their child's first and most important teacher, and helping children thrive from the very beginning.

Community Partnerships for Protecting Children

Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) continued to bring people together around a shared goal of creating stronger communities where children and families can thrive. This year, CPPC hosted more than 20 workshops, reaching over 200 professionals and community members throughout southwest Iowa.

Training topics reflected the needs of our communities and included Becoming Trauma Informed, Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE), Strengthening Families Through the Protective Factors Framework, Using Artificial Intelligence Ethically, Motivating Change: Communication Tools for Building Trust and Partnership, Understanding Addiction, and other evidence-based topics that help strengthen families and support those who work with them.

This year also brought exciting new partnerships. CPPC joined with NAMI Southwest Iowa and Zion Recovery Services to host a community screening of the documentary Hiding in Plain Sight, creating an opportunity for meaningful conversations about youth mental health, substance use, and the importance of community support. We were also grateful to partner once again with the Red Oak Grand Theatre, whose continued collaboration helped make this event possible. Participants described the screening as educational and informative, with many saying it inspired them to learn more about mental health and encouraged them to take action in their communities.

Participant feedback demonstrated the value of these learning opportunities. Evaluations consistently showed extremely high satisfaction, with participants reporting they gained practical knowledge and skills they could immediately apply in their work. Several attendees shared that the trainings created "so many 'ah hah' moments," while others described the sessions as "very needed information" and praised the real-world examples and practical resources provided.

Through these learning opportunities, CPPC continues to support professionals and community members with practical tools, new ideas, and evidence-based strategies that strengthen children, families, and communities throughout Southwest Iowa.

Together We Made a Difference

As we reflect on this past year, we are reminded that every connection matters.

This year, we had the privilege of walking alongside hundreds of children, families, professionals, organizations, and community partners. Together, we celebrated milestones, overcame challenges, built new relationships, and strengthened the network of support that helps children and families thrive.

Thank you to every family who welcomed us into your lives, every partner who worked alongside us, every organization that collaborated with us, and every supporter who believes in our mission. Together, we made a difference. Because of your partnership and commitment, children are growing up with stronger supports, families are finding the resources they need, and communities across Southwest Iowa are becoming more connected and resilient.

As we look ahead, we remain committed to walking alongside children, families, organizations, and communities. We look forward to building on this year's successes and continuing this important work together.

With gratitude,

Thriving Families Alliance