Our Mission
To improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth by providing services and leadership in partnership with families, schools and communities.

Our Goals
• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success 

Here's What You Thought About the All-Staff Meeting

In the document linked below, you’ll find the results of the 2017 All-Staff Meeting survey. Thank you to the 188 staff who responded to the survey. We’ll take your responses into consideration as we plan for future meetings. 

2017 All-Staff Meeting Survey Responses

10 Facts About United Way – Will You Donate Today?

1. What does United Way do? United Way leads the fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in central Iowa. We go beyond temporary fixes to tackle the underlying causes of critical issues. 

2. For 100 years, United Way of Central Iowa has brought people together to tackle our community’s toughest challenges. Because if there are people who are hungry, families who live in poverty, or children who are not succeeding in school and therefore may not succeed in life—the status quo is never good enough. 

3. United Way and our community have set bold Goals for 2020 in the areas of Education, Income, and Health. 

• In Education, we will increase the percentage of central Iowa students who graduate from high school to 95%. 
• In Income, we will increase the percentage of central Iowans who are financially stable to 75%. 
• In Health, we will increase central Iowa’s Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index score, a comprehensive measure of health, to 64.5. 

These goals are destinations, not aspirations. To see the progress we’re making toward these goals, visit the Community Impact Report on United Way’s website. 

4. United Way invests in 136 community impact programs representing 77 partner agencies, in the areas of education, income and health—the building blocks for a good quality of life. 

5. United Way does much more than programs. We pull together experts from all segments of central Iowa to seek out our community’s toughest challenges, set strategies and goals, and then tackle these challenges at their roots... fighting together, in a UNITED Way. 

6. United Way of Central Iowa is the number one per capita giving United Way in the country among United Ways raising more than $25 million. More than 40,000 donors give to United Way each year so that all central Iowans have a chance at a better life. 

7. Dollars invested in United Way stay local. They go to programs and initiatives that expert volunteers determine will have the most impact in meeting our community’s Goals for 2020 in education, income and health. 

8. Today, nearly 1 in 4 central Iowa third-graders do not read proficiently. They are FOUR TIMES more likely to eventually drop out of school. United Way’s READ to SUCCEED initiative is a groundbreaking, community-wide call-to-action to help kids get the skills they need to read proficiently so they succeed in school and beyond. 

9. United Way’s Graduation Walk is held one Saturday morning each year, when hundreds of volunteers hit the streets to call on the homes of students to help them make the best decision of their life: to graduate from high school. Graduation Walk volunteers deliver a powerful message to the students and their families: “We care about you and your success!” 

10. Did you know that 34,000 central Iowa adults do not have a high school diploma? A high school dropout earns an average of $700,000 less throughout their lifetime than a high school graduate. United Way’s Bridges to Success initiative will help 10,000 adults earn their high school equivalency degree so they can go on to gain the skills, training, and confidence to get a better job and achieve financial stability.

If you haven’t donated yet, please consider doing so. This simple act can make a big difference for so many people in our communities. Contact Courtney Croatt or Whitney Anderson for your pledge form.

Guidance About Meal Receipts When Traveling for Agency Business

When traveling on agency business, please ask for separate receipts if you are purchasing alcoholic beverages with your meals. Tips and taxes related to the purchase of alcohol should be on separate receipts as well. When submitting for reimbursement, do not include any alcohol-related purchases. If you have any questions, contact the Business Office. 

Reminder: Are You Paying Too Much on Your Student Loans? IS Loan Solutions May Be Able to Help Lower or Eliminate Your Payments

Heartland AEA is partnering with an advisory company, IS Loan Solutions, to help school employees improve their student loan situations and overall financial well-being. All full-time Heartland AEA staff and school district staff (regardless of position) with student loans are encouraged to find out if this voluntary benefit can help them. They may qualify for loan forgiveness and refinancing to help lower or even eliminate loan payments. IS Loan Solutions has helped others reduce their monthly payments on average by 81%.



ISLoan Solutions is a student loan advisory firm (not debt consolidator) that offers a voluntary student loan relief benefit that may be able to help staff with federal student loans, including Parent Plus Loans, reduce their monthly student loan payment and overall obligation. This benefit provides information to you about their potential for significant savings on student loan debt. This is a free, voluntary, no obligation review and consultation for staff with student loan. If you want to take the relationship further and use ISLoan Solutions to implement a loan relief program on your behalf, there will be a fee to implement all of the necessary steps. The fee is based on the complexity of the student loan forgiveness strategy.



This program was first introduced to educational service agencies, such as AEAs, across the country through the Association of Educational Service Agencies’ (AESA) national consortium. Grant Wood AEA piloted the program in Iowa in 2016 and has reported positive reviews. In April 2017, superintendents in the Heartland AEA service area reviewed the program and suggested moving forward.


Visit the IS Loan Solutions website and enter registration code AEA11 for more information.



Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) may be able to:
•    Immediately lower monthly student loan payments
•    Reduce student loan obligation
•    Significantly lower costs to earn additional degrees

•    Receive a personalized 10-year loan forgiveness plan outlining projected tax-free savings

Some may be able to lower their payments through the program, Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF is not Teacher Loan Forgiveness). If you choose to work with IS Loan Solutions, there will be a fee for their services. For those who won’t benefit from PSLF, refinancing may work for you. For those who registered with ISLoan Solutions in the past and were told you would not benefit from PSLF, login to your MyISLS portal, and you will be directed to the refinancing option.

Contact IS Loan Solutions at (866) 831-5564 or visit isloansolutions.com for more information and success stories.

Updates From Flexible Benefits Provider 121 Benefits

HRA Quarterly Contribution Date Change

Beginning with the HRA quarterly contribution for October 2017, HRA quarterly contributions will be made on the first pay date of that month or Jan. 15, April 15, July 15 and Oct. 15. If the 15th falls on a weekend then the pay date will be on the date of the Friday prior to the 15th, just like your paycheck. This process is changing in order to improve file transmissions and the reconciliation process.

What Does “DO NOT USE” Mean on My Account Information?

The “DO NOT USE” account shown in your account information was the original account created for the HRA, which had dates that restricted reimbursements. Because some employees received reimbursements prior to this issue being corrected, the account had to be renamed, as it must now remain due to IRS regulations and audit requirements. Unfortunately, 121 Benefits is unable to put these accounts “in the background” during this plan year, but the “DO NOT USE” accounts will be set to archive at the beginning of the 2018-19 benefit plan year and will disappear. In the meantime, please disregard these accounts.

As always, if you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist.

Ever Wonder How Your Blue Choice Health Plan Works?

If you have health insurance through our agency’s Wellmark Blue Choice plan, have you ever wondered how it works? Check out this document to learn more. 

Thinking About Retirement? Check Out the Retirement Resources on the Intranet

If you’ve got retirement on your mind, check out the resources available on the Intranet > Benefits > Retirement. 

From information about IPERS and Social Security to a retirement toolkit to new documents about Medicare, there are helpful resources available for you. 

Wellness Update: Register for Mindfulness Stress Reduction Session Coming Nov. 15

Allison Peet is a qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction instructor trained at UMass Medical Center for Mindfulness. She operates her own business, From Within Wellness, and offers mindfulness workshops and educational classes for businesses, groups and individuals. Most of you saw her at our All-Staff Meeting as she took us through a mindfulness activity during one of our wellness breaks. Join her for a session where she will dig deeper into mindfulness and meditation to help with attention, compassion, emotion regulation and stress reduction in your life. Allison will also be teaching an 8-week session for teachers in January. 

Mindfulness Stress Reduction Session 

Nov. 15, 2017

3-4 p.m.

Johnston REC

Rooms 152 A/B/C
Registration – Limit of 30 staff for this in-person only session

Updated Van Route List Available

An updated van route list is available. The Newton regional office has changed route placement from 8.05 to 8.08.

Important Child Count Reminders for AEA Staff

Oct. 27, 2017, Child Count Day, is quickly approaching! Please read the reminders below and if any apply to you, complete them as soon as possible. Let's work together to make Child Count 2017 go smoothly!

• Students moving into the state of Iowa with an active IEP must have an Iowa IEP completed prior to Child Count. If an Iowa IEP has not been started by Oct. 16, 2017, for those students, the Out of State IEP Procedure for 2017-2018 document states the following process will be followed. 
• Beginning Oct. 16, 2017, after verifying with the Primary Contact or Direct Service Provider that no Iowa IEP meeting will be held on or before Oct. 27, 2017, the Data Specialist will start a Move-In type IEP for those students who have moved into Iowa and no meeting will be held on or before Oct. 27, 2017. The Data Specialist will complete:
• Family Tab
• Tab A except for the Procedural Safeguards and, if applicable, Rights will Transfer Information (Must be completed by PC, Direct Service, or Teacher)
• Tab F - will add one Service box (Must be completed by PC, Direct Service, or Teacher)
• RSD tab except for the Disability Code (Must be completed by PC, Direct Service, or Teacher)
• All PK to Kindergarten students must have a transition IEP completed prior to Child Count. The Data Specialists will run reports and Primary Contacts and/or Direct Service Providers will be notified if a transition IEP hasn't been completed yet. If you are responsible for any Kindergarten students, look to make sure they've had that transition IEP completed. This includes:
• Changing the grade to Kindergarten (Family and A tab),
• Marking Full-time programming,
• Updating the teacher or service provider,
• Updating the EC Setting Worksheet,
• Verifying the District Wide Assessment information,
• Completing a final ECO. Remember, an ECO on an Initial cannot be considered the Final ECO - there must be two sets of data for comparison.
• Direct Service Provider as well as teacher rosters will be printed and distributed very soon. If you are responsible to turn in rosters, take some time to look them over carefully to make sure all data is correct and all students are accounted for on the roster. 
• Students who are no longer receiving special education services on Oct. 27, 2017, MUST have an exit IEP/IFSP completed and submitted by Oct. 30, 2017. If you are a Primary Contact, work with your teachers to make sure students are exited who are no longer receiving special education services. If you are Direct Service Provider, complete exits for students you are no longer serving that are listed on your roster. 
• All IFSP and IEP meetings held on or before Oct. 27, 2017, must be completed and submitted as soon as possible; no later than noon on Oct. 30, 2017. Primary Contacts, work with your teachers to ensure that all IEPs are submitted within that timeline. If you are a Direct Service Provider for either IEPs or IFSPs, complete and submit your IEP/IFSP within that timeline. 

Thank you in advance for your help in making Child Count 2017 a smooth process!