Shared Services Project

August 1, 2023

Dear Child Care Providers,

Less than a year ago, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a multi-phase Shared Services project. The project focuses on using modern technology and automation to support child care providers’ business needs; help parents find child care to meet their family’s needs; and provide better data for state administrators to assess the supply and demand of child care by child age categories and identify strategies to address gaps in child care. 

Iowa is leading the nation in this work. We continue to provide you with updates about our progress. We are excited that Opportunities Exchange is showcasing the work happening in Iowa to decrease child care providers’ time spent on administrative tasks and repetitive work in submitting child time and attendance data to receive reimbursement for children/families receiving Child Care Assistance (CCA). In February, HHS launched a data bridge between Playground and brightwheel and Iowa’s child care subsidy data system, KinderTrack (KT). Child care providers across Iowa are amazed by how easy the process is and how much administrative time they are saving. The brief, “Iowa Leads the Way: How Modern Technology Can Improve Access to High-Quality Child Care” is available here.

Learn more and ask questions about Iowa’s strategy that pairs financial management coaching through the Child Care Collaborative of Iowa and use of one of the state-funded Child Care Management System (CCMS) software vendors, Playground or brightwheel, here.

Thanks for all you do,

Julie Allison
Child Care Bureau Chief
Division of Family Well-Being and Protection
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services