Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) will build upon a project that has been funded by the Iowa Women’s Foundation since 2015. The goal is to improve the availability and quality of culturally and linguistically appropriate child care for refugee parents who are seeking to go to work or school. As a result, 63 women from 15 language groups have been assisted with child care registration requirements and/or training, providing care for 158 children (60 refugee families) in 2017. In addition to continuing this work in Des Moines, LSI will visit with leaders from other Iowa communities with significant refugee population who are interested in setting up a similar program and host at least one visit to the LSI program to share best practices.
