Quality Improvement Grant Program

Purpose of the Grant

Linking Families and Communities (LFC) is committed to supporting local child care providers in strengthening program quality, promoting healthy child development, and ensuring safe, enriching environments for children. This grant opportunity provides funding to licensed child care centers and in-home child care providers to make quality improvements that directly benefit children, families, and/or staff.

Eligibility

- Licensed child care center or registered child development home.
- Serving children ages 0–12.
- Willing to implement and sustain quality improvements funded through this grant.

Reporting Requirements

At the conclusion of the program, successful grantees will be required to submit a brief report by June 30, 2026 that includes:

• Number of children impacted by the funding
• Number of children served ages 0–5, reported by single year of age (e.g., number of infants 0–11
months, number of 1-year-olds, etc.).
• Survey of parents and/or employees on improved quality, knowledge or condition (to be determined based on program design).

Application Process

Child Care Providers interested in applying should complete the attached application form and submit it by email or mail:

Email: estanek@linking-families.com	Mail: Linking Families and Communities 822 Central Avenue, Suite 300 Fort Dodge, IA 50501

Important Dates

• Proposals Due: November 10, 2025
• Grants Awarded: December 15, 2025

• Programs Complete: June 1, 2026
• Reports Due: June 30, 2026

Linking Families and Communities Application Cover Page

APPLICANT INFORMATION

Legal name of Child Care Business (if legally incorporated):

Contact Person (Name of Center Director or Owner):

Street Address:

City:	Zip Code:

Phone:	Email:

Federal ID # or Social Security #:

Program Type (Licensed Center or Reg. Child Dev. Home):

HHS Provider Number:	License/Registration Expiration Date:

Capacity:	Number of Children Currently Enrolled:

IQ4K Rating:	If not currently in IQ4K, is the program working on it? (Yes or No):

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Please describe your program’s strengths.

Please identify the quality improvement needs or challenges your program’s challenges.

Proposed Project - Which of the following areas does your project address? (check all that apply)

☐ Health & Safety	☐ Facility or Playground Improvements
☐ Learning Materials/Curriculum	☐ Social-Emotional Supports
☐ Professional Development/Staff Training	☐ Other: List Project Area

Proposed Project – Describe the specific project or improvement for which you are requesting funding.

How will this project benefit the children and families that you serve? Detail the expected outcomes once your project is implemented.

Will this project assist your program in achieving a new level on IQ4K, if so please describe?

How will you sustain this project beyond the grant period?

How will you assess the effectiveness of the improvements made?

Budget

Expense Description	Amount Requested From LFC	Other Funding Sources
$0.00	$0.00
$0.00	$0.00
$0.00	$0.00
$0.00	$0.00
$0.00	$0.00
$0.00	$0.00
$0.00	$0.00
TOTAL	$0.00	$0.00

Budget Justification/Detail?

CERTIFICATION

I certify that the information provided in this application is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I agree to comply with all

Signature of director or business owner:

Title:	Date: 10/21/2025