Handicare

Handicare provides childcare to children ages 6 weeks old through third grade. Our three programs begin with an infant-toddler program for children through age 2. Children then move to our preschool curriculum for ages 3-4. We partner with the Iowa City Community School District to offer a free, 3-hour preschool program (four days/week) taught by a licensed teacher, and we also incorporate elements of the curriculum into the rest of our childcare for 3-4-year old's. Our before-and-after school program and summer kids' club serve school-aged children in grades K-3. Handicare serves neurotypical and special needs children, and we prioritize care and education that are developmentally appropriate and inclusive. We welcome under-served populations, including families who receive childcare assistance. We value collaboration among our staff, families, and community partners; connection, embodied in compassionate and understanding care; and creative learning that makes education meaningful and resonant for our children. In 2022 we stived to make our employment practices comparable to others in the same industry. We were able to raise our starting wage to $14.00/hour for an Assistant Teacher, $16.00/hour for a Lead Teacher. We also began a retirement program with company match (up to 3%) for most of our employees. We also started to make improvements to the inside of our building. We started with our State Wide Voluntary Preschool room. For this we knocked out a wall to a space that was not being used to its fullest potential. We have also begun work to our staff break room and a conference room for having conversations with parents/staff. We hope to finish in 2023.