Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has hundreds of programs available to Iowans. Use this resource to find programs you are interested in. Most programs include a link to detailed information about that program.
If you’re struggling with Parkinson’s disease or know someone who is, it’s helpful to know where to find support on the journey. Learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatments related to Parkinson’s disease.
Purchasing a home is probably the biggest purchase you’ll ever make. It’s an exciting experience and not a simple task. Lessons focus on preparing for home ownership, shopping for a home, securing a mortgage, closing the loan, and being a homeowner.
Have you ever wondered if you are on the right path when parenting your children?
Children are great imitators. They observe and imitate adults’ nutrition and physical activity practices. Explore ways you can be a positive role model for those in your care. Write an action plan for helping them develop healthy eating habits for life.
Reading with children supports their development, especially when using a technique called dialogic (or interactive) reading.
Buy. Eat. Live Healthy educators support families in making healthy choices on a tight grocery budget. This eight-lesson series focuses on nutrition education, cooking skills, grocery budget management and active living.
Caring for a loved one can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be challenging. Learn to recognize how caregiving affects relationships among family members. You will gain skills in talking and listening to address changing needs in later life.
You can’t actually “eat the rainbow,” but you can eat foods the colors of the rainbow for better health. You’ll learn the health benefits and fun activities to increase children’s recognition and acceptance of fruit and vegetable color groups.
A tricky question – “Who is in charge of the threshold when parents leave their children at child care programs?” Learn about the common barriers child care program staff experience as they work to create productive relationships with parents.
Interested in improving the quality of your child care program in a fun and interactive way? Learn how to use Environment Rating Scales to assess and improve the quality of child care programs.
Interested in improving the quality of your child care program in a fun and interactive way? Learn how to use Environment Rating Scales to assess and improve the quality of child care programs.
Interested in improving the quality of your child care program in a fun and interactive way? Learn how to use Environment Rating Scales to assess and improve the quality of child care programs.
Interested in improving the quality of your child care program in a fun and interactive way? Learn how to use Environment Rating Scales to assess and improve the quality of child care programs.
Learn essential practices for creating safe and healthy early childhood education environments. Explore the basics of child development and how to support cultural diversity and children who may be experiencing homelessness.
Learn why connecting with nature is important and how to engage families with outdoor nature-based play experiences. Incorporate nature-based best practices to improve the quality of your child care program.
Are you up for the challenge? Explore topics like potentially hazardous foods, cross contamination, cleaning, and temperature to help your team solve the food safety puzzle.
From popcorn and pretzels to casseroles and cupcakes, the safety of everyone eating at an event relies on workers and volunteers following proper food safety procedures.
Gardening with children promotes a healthy lifestyle, early learning experiences, social development, and environmental stewardship. You’ll engage in learning gardening activities through crafts, literacy, container gardening, and taste testing.
Wiggling worms and giggling children — that’s what you can expect with this wildlife education session! You’ll examine ways to build and nurture children’s sense of wonder about nature, wildlife, and the great outdoors.
Adult couple relationships and positive parenting practices are connected to healthy child outcomes. You will be prepared to teach couples and families relationship education skills that support strong and stable couple relationships.
The state of Iowa has specific laws and regulations related to food that is prepared at home and sold directly to consumers.
Worried about the child who only wants to eat one food? You’ll learn about eating habits that are normal for young children, strategies that promote healthy eating habits, and how to foster pleasant mealtime experiences — all while taste testing.
Whether babies are breast fed or formula fed, their health and wellbeing depends on your support of their families. In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn the best practices for food safety and infant feeding regulations.
Review Iowa’s Early Learning Standards and learn how to use the standards and plan developmentally appropriate activities for young children, ages birth to 5.
Just a bite may be all it takes to cause a severe reaction to a food allergen. You’ll learn the common food allergens for children and the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction.
Kids in the Kitchen is a hands-on nutrition and cooking education series for youth in grades K-5. Students learn to make healthy choices, prepare food themselves and be safe in the kitchen.
You are invited to learn how to improve your health and stay fit to reduce diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Discover foods that keep your body healthy, make and taste foods in class, learn to shop smarter, and practice being more physically active.
Early reading and language development help children be “school ready,” which increases their opportunities for academic success. You’ll experience ways to connect with children as you incorporate food-related activities in lessons with children's books.
If only we could wave a wand and nutritious, convenient meals would suddenly appear! Since that won’t happen, instead you’ll learn best practices for planning and serving meals, physical activity, and health and safety for children under your care.
To help someone in need, people must become more informed about mental health and substance use issues. Learn to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders and about tools to help you start the conversation.
Take control of your finances, even when money is short. Worry less when you learn to prioritize bills, protect your credit, and manage debt.
Intended audience: Adults, especially those recently unemployed or with reduced household income
Did you know movement activities can help children improve thinking skills? You’ll practice Move for Thought Pre-K kit activities, which describes physical activities integrated with pre-academic concepts, self-regulation skills, books, and music.
With four easy steps you will be on your way to help lay the foundation for lifelong dietary habits in children. We’ll explain four specific MyPlate recommendations you can implement as you plan meals and snacks in your childcare setting.
Turn your child care play spaces into fun, joyful areas to explore nature. You’ll discover how to engage children in nature through music and the arts, how to develop observation skills, and much more.
Enhance your skills for speaking up against stereotypes with useful, easy-to-learn phrases, as you communicate in a diverse world.
Prepare your preschooler to read by reading to them! Learn about a technique called dialogic reading and get ideas on how to make reading FUN for you and your child at home.
Refine your skills as a supervisor, coach, and mentor to early childhood teachers and staff. Discover how to give effective feedback, challenge growth, and nurture ongoing professionalism.
Learn the basic skills and knowledge to teach and care for children in child care center, preschool or school-age care programs. Discover how to support early learning, build positive relationships, and ensure children’s health and safety.
Plan, Shop, Save, and Cook helps adults stretch their food dollar through practical skills and knowledge. Participants learn to understand food labels, use smart shopping strategies and plan healthy meals in this four-lesson series.
Caregiving can be stressful — physically, emotionally, and financially. You will learn ways to take care of yourself, reduce stress, improve your caregiving confidence, and establish balance in your life as you care for others.
Caregiving can be stressful — physically, emotionally, and financially. You will learn ways to take care of yourself, reduce stress, improve your caregiving confidence, and establish balance in your life as you care for others.
Become a certified Class Leader of the Powerful Tools for Caregivers program. Learn ways to help others take care of themselves, reduce stress, improve caregiving confidence, and establish balance in their lives as they care for others.
Caregiving for a family member or friend can be stressful—physically, emotionally, and financially. Join us to learn about taking care of yourself with self-care strategies and techniques to reduce stress.
Children love to pretend they run a grocery store or a restaurant. Build on that interest with activities for preschoolers that practice money skills. You’ll explore ways to introduce and reinforce money-related words and concepts throughout the day.
Love that fresh garden produce but have more than you can eat? Preserve it! It’s not difficult, but you do need to follow safe methods. You’ll learn how to can, freeze, and dry foods safely at home.
Preserving your own foods can be a lot quicker and easier than you might think. It’s a great way to have delicious, local food all year long. A hands-on workshop offers you the opportunity to learn safe food preservation techniques.
Preserving your own foods can be a lot quicker and easier than you might think. It’s a great way to have delicious, local food all year long. A hands-on workshop offers you the opportunity to learn safe food preservation techniques.
Preserving your own foods can be a lot quicker and easier than you might think. It’s a great way to have delicious, local food all year long. A hands-on workshop offers you the opportunity to learn safe food preservation techniques.
Preserving your own foods can be a lot quicker and easier than you might think. It’s a great way to have delicious, local food all year long. A hands-on workshop offers you the opportunity to learn safe food preservation techniques.
Preparing fresh produce is easy if you have the information you need and a few skills. Learn how to store, clean, prepare, and preserve various fresh fruits and vegetables.
Say YES to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor. Learn three simple steps to help save a life from suicide. When you take the QPR suicide prevention training, you learn the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond.
Discover easy ways to help your child get ready for school by building their reading and writing skills. You can when you engage in fun literacy play with your 3- to 6-year-old child and turn everyday routines and experiences into learning activities!
How do we protect children from foodborne illnesses? Assess your current food safety practices and develop action plans to improve using the FightBac! messages to fight foodborne illness.
¡Salir Adelante! helps Iowa Latinx families with middle school youth explore their futures and prepare for college and/or career goals.
Whether you are a food service manager or an employee, using current best practices in safe food handling is essential to keep your food establishment in compliance and protect the health of both customers and staff.
Be safe, not sorry when you learn and follow the four simple steps to food safety: Clean. Separate. Cook. Chill. You’ll learn best practices to ensure you prepare and serve food safely.
Make informed decisions about financial management and build greater confidence to make small changes that can make a difference.
Intended audience: educators and other school personnel
Format: 15-hour course
Learn strategies to save money on food expenses and incorporate new ideas into menu planning and food shopping while exploring the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. website.
Intended audience: Adults
Good nutrition does not have to be expensive. Children in your care can “eat smart” when you practice strategies to save money while incorporating new ideas into menu planning and food shopping.
It’s never too early — or too late — to set realistic goals for eating well and moving more. Learn the health benefits of eating well and how to strengthen your muscles to stay independent for life. Sample healthy, tasty, and low-cost foods.
Wondering how to help your children resist peer pressure? Parents and youth will practice skills, play learning games, and do family projects to increase family bonding, build positive communication skills, and solve problems together.
Parents often cite guidance and discipline as their number one concern. This workshop will help you see positive discipline as an opportunity to build positive parent-child relationships.
How do parents use research to help inform their unique parenting reality? Learn about how parenting realities are different and discover helpful parenting tools and techniques.
Learn ways to prevent the risk of infection in child care and how to protect yourself and others using Universal Precautions. Discover how to access, develop, and use an Exposure Control Plan, a requirement of OSHA.
Engage in hands-on learning to enhance your wellbeing and quality of life in ways that are personally meaningful to you. Learn strategies for taking time for yourself, building relationships, and improving physical and financial health.
Who leads and who follows? That is the question! You’ll find the answers in this workshop as you identify who is responsible for what, when, where, and whether a child eats and is physically active.
Talking about money and goals may be difficult for you while you are helping clients address other complex issues. You’ll discover how to have money conversations with the people you assist to help them achieve their financial goals.
Young adults can experience mental health or addiction challenges. If you are an adult who interacts with adolescents (ages 12-18), this course introduces common mental health challenges for youth and reviews typical adolescent development.