Handicare

The infant-toddler component of the program is for children from infancy through two years of age. The infant rooms follow each individual child's eating and napping schedule. Play times and stimulating interactions are provided to meet each child's developmental needs. Toddler classrooms follow a more structured routine and incorporate some group times into the daily schedule. Learning centers are made available to help teach children about themselves and their environment. Daily lesson plans are developed to promote overall development and help the children acquire the social and emotional skills needed to succeed.


Beginning at the age of three, children are introduced to a preschool curriculum. Handicare uses the Creative Curriculum to guide our planning of developmentally appropriate lessons that focus on school readiness and social/emotional development. Learning centers are made available to help teach children about themselves and their environment and group times are incorporated into the schedule each day; Handicare partners with the Iowa City Community School District to provide a 4-year-old preschool program as part of the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program. Our 4-year-preschool program uses Everyday Math and Handwriting Without Tears curriculums to supplement the Creative Curriculum.


Handicare offers a school complement program to children in kindergarten through third grade. Because these children are receiving their educational support from the public school system our emphasis is on social and leisure activities. We provide care before and after school, on school conference days, during winter and spring breaks, and during the summer. Provided Handicare is not also closed due to weather conditions, we also provided care on days that the public schools are closed due to inclement weather. We provide transportation to and from Coralville Central, Kirkwood, Kate Wickham, and Borlaug Elementary schools during the school year but not during summer school sessions.