Our Creative Services team is offering a sweet treat as a thank you to our educator and district staff partners. We’re offering a one-time use discount of 14% off your entire Creative Services printing order.
Visit Creative Services Online and enter the promo code SWEET14 on the payment screen and click Apply before paying for your order.
Promotion code available for one-time use only. Offer available Feb. 1 - Feb. 28, 2026. Offer only available on new orders. Offer not available for Braille or custom graphic design orders.
Heartland AEA’s Library Connection brings you fresh resources and inspiration to support literacy, learning, and classroom engagement this season. From newly honored books to Olympic-themed teaching tools and upcoming professional opportunities, dive into what’s new for you and your learners!
The Iowa Department of Education has approved a new list of AEA Professional Development, which is now available to districts and schools in our service area.
These DE-approved courses are designed to support Iowa’s strategic priorities and provide consistent, high-quality professional learning for educators—whether your focus is literacy, math, special education, English learners, leadership, mental health or preparing students for the future.
We invite you to connect with your AEA regional director to get started. Your AEA team can help you explore options, customize learning for your staff, and plan next steps that fit your goals.
We look forward to partnering with you to support your educators and students through these learning opportunities.
For more information, see the 2026-27 List of Approved AEA Professional Development.
Spread the word to potential school psychologists!
About the Program
The University of Northern Iowa (UNI), in partnership with seven of Iowa’s AEAs, is offering a collaborative “grow your own” program to train new school psychologists to increase access to mental health services in high-need rural Iowa schools. Participants earn an Ed.S. in school psychology through UNI while continuing to work full-time. Upon graduation, students commit to serving as AEA school psychologists in rural areas to help address critical local needs.
Two pathways are available:
- Bachelor’s track: For educators currently working in schools (teachers, paraprofessionals, etc.); Ed.S. in 4 years
- Master’s track: For professionals in education and related fields; Ed.S. in 3 years
- Two cohorts of ~12 students each
Cohort 1 begins in June 2026, Cohort 2 begins in Summer 2027
Why It Matters
Iowa faces a critical shortage of school psychologists. While NASP recommends 1 psychologist per 500 students, current ratios in Iowa range from 1:1,657 to 1:7,857, limiting student access to mental health supports.
Program Benefits
- Financial support: books provided each semester, travel costs covered for instructional sessions, 90% of tuition and fees covered through grants, internship licensure and national exam fees paid
- Part-time study while working full-time
- Strong professional engagement
Service Commitment
- Graduates commit to 3 years of service in their AEA after completion
- Early departure may require repayment of some program costs
Interested in hosting Heartland AEA professional development exclusively for your district staff? We’d love to explore the possibilities with you. Heartland AEA offers a wide range of professional learning options, including paraeducator training, substitute authorization, and 6 Shifts in Special Education—all designed to meet district needs and schedules. To learn more or start a conversation, contact Susie Meade, Heartland AEA Chief Academic Officer.
As shared in July 2025, Heartland AEA has transitioned our CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® training model to be more cost-efficient. We are now operating under a service-area-based training model. This means we will offer CPI training across the Heartland AEA service area at multiple times throughout the year. These trainings are open to any districts/schools within the Heartland AEA service area. We will offer a series of pre-service sessions in August 2026, followed by offerings in September/October 2026 and January/February 2027.
Based on what we know at this point, we will continue to align with the Iowa Department of Education directive that Iowa’s AEAs utilize state-allocated, children’s mental health school-based training and support funds to offer CPI training, free of charge, to school districts. Therefore, for the 2026-2027 school year, Heartland CPI training facilitators and materials will continue to be provided at no cost.
Please refer to all the training details in the CPI Communication for 2026-2027.
If you have any questions, please contact Jadie Boens, Director of School and Student Support
Services.
As you make plans for the rest of this year and next year, remember your Heartland AEA Professional Service Providers are just a request away! You can utilize this District Request for Services form. Once we receive it, we will contact you to confirm and develop an action plan.
