Sioux City, IA — August 2026— Crittenton Center has been awarded a five-year Shared Visions Parent Support grant from the Iowa Department of Education to expand educational support services for families with young children across Plymouth, Sioux, and Woodbury counties. The grant, totaling $329,438.63 annually, began July 1, 2026.

Through its Shared Visions Parent Support Program, Crittenton Center's accredited Family Resource Center will provide educational support services for families with children from birth to age five. Services are designed to strengthen parenting skills, promote healthy child development, and connect families with community resources that help children thrive.

Families will receive support in areas including child growth and development, positive guidance techniques, nutrition, family resource management, parent literacy, and access to local services. The program aligns with Iowa's commitment to helping parents build strong foundations during the earliest years of a child's life.

"Crittenton Center believes that strong families create strong communities," said Kim Scorza, CEO of Crittenton Center. "This grant allows us to continue walking alongside parents by providing the education, resources, and encouragement they need to help their children succeed from the very beginning."

The program will serve families throughout Plymouth, Sioux, and Woodbury counties, where Crittenton Center has a longstanding presence through its child development centers, Family Resource Center, emergency youth shelter, foster care programming, and homelessness outreach services.

About: Serving Iowa since 1895, Crittenton Center provides Child and Family Development services through Childcare, Preschool, and Family Resource Center services, and Child Welfare and Wellbeing services through emergency shelter, foster-care-programming, and homelessness outreach programs.

To learn more, visit www.crittentoncenter.org.