ChildServe

ChildServe ChildServe partners with families to help children with special healthcare needs live a great life. To learn more, visit www.childserve.org.
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ChildServe is a not-for-profit organization that partners with families to help children with special health care needs live a great life. Originally founded in 1928 as a convalescent home for children, today ChildServe provides specialized pediatric healthcare services to nearly 5,800 children in Iowa. Through the support of private insurance, public funds, and the generosity of donors, ChildServe offers accessible, family-centered care unique to each child’s needs, hopes, and dreams. We provide services to children with special healthcare needs. In creating a common understanding of the term special healthcare needs, we note the term "health" is more than a medical definition or the absence of disability. To ChildServe, health is a state of physical, social, cognitive, environmental, and spiritual well-being. This broader concept of health helps us understand the parameters of .

Families are invited to provide input on parental beliefs surrounding autism in children diagnosed during or after the C...
04/08/2026

Families are invited to provide input on parental beliefs surrounding autism in children diagnosed during or after the COVID‑19 pandemic. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is conducting a study aimed to gather meaningful insights that could help inform future education, clinical communication and family support practices.

Who can participate? ➡ Caregivers who are caring for a child 12 years old or younger who was diagnosed with autism between 2020 and 2025.

The survey is confidential and will take 10-15 minutes to complete: https://qualtricsxm5vm956zjt.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3sniHjZiTGyrfPU

If you have questions related to the survey, contact Jaime Langosch, LPC, at jlangosch@ego.thechicagoschool.edu.

Join us in celebrating Paige Jaeger, ChildServe’s Chief Operating Officer, for being recognized on the Des Moines Busine...
04/08/2026

Join us in celebrating Paige Jaeger, ChildServe’s Chief Operating Officer, for being recognized on the Des Moines Business Record's 27th annual Forty Under 40 list! 🎉

Selected by past honorees, these 40 recipients are recognized for their outstanding career achievements and unparalleled community involvement. Paige shares a strong connection to the mission at ChildServe and is passionate about advancing care for Iowa families.

“In 2017, our first son was born with bilateral club feet, and in 2019, our middle son developed a rare staph infection, staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, at just five days old. Navigating the healthcare system as a parent was frightening, but it gave me a profound perspective on the work I lead every day,” said Paige. “I’m excited to be part of the meaningful and innovative work underway at ChildServe and to help expand our ability to partner with families to help children with special healthcare needs live a great life.”

Congratulations, Paige! Your dedication to ChildServe and our community makes a lasting impact. Read Paige's profile at https://www.businessrecord40.com/paige-jaeger. 💜

Images: Paige and team celebrating at the 40 Under 40 event.

We're expanding our services to meet the needs of our community with Pediatric Psychiatry at ChildServe! 💜Led by board-c...
04/07/2026

We're expanding our services to meet the needs of our community with Pediatric Psychiatry at ChildServe! 💜

Led by board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Chastity Butts, the program collaborates with therapists, social workers and other healthcare professionals to ensure coordinated care for individuals. We offer comprehensive psychiatric evaluations to understand each individual’s mental health needs related to diagnosis and medication management. Appointments with our psychiatric providers help families understand the best treatment options.

To refer an individual to ChildServe’s Pediatric Psychiatry program, please call 515-331-4518 or visit https://www.childserve.org/psychiatry/ to download our referral form.

❗Please note: ChildServe Psychiatry does not provide autism or cognitive testing; those services are offered through ChildServe Psychology.

Round up, give back and empower kids in your community! 💜In celebration of , we're partnering with our friends from Far...
04/06/2026

Round up, give back and empower kids in your community! 💜

In celebration of , we're partnering with our friends from Fareway Stores for a roundup at the register event! April 20-25, when you round up at the register at participating Fareway locations across Iowa, you’re helping children with special healthcare needs live a .

Funds raised will support ChildServe’s Autism Program, directly impacting kids like Lola, who recently graduated from our Autism Day Program in Iowa City. Her incredible progress is just one example of what’s possible when families have access to the right support. Our Autism Program meets families where they are and grows with them as their needs evolve. The program offers more than 16 integrated services to support individuals who display characteristics of autism spectrum disorder.

Thank you for rounding up, giving back and making a meaningful impact for Iowa kids! ❤

A HUGE ChildServe thank you goes out to the talented student volunteers in Hope Overflow from Wartburg College! 🎶 🎤Toget...
04/05/2026

A HUGE ChildServe thank you goes out to the talented student volunteers in Hope Overflow from Wartburg College! 🎶 🎤

Together, this incredible group of 10 college students sang beautiful songs throughout our therapy spaces, classrooms and staff areas. They also helped stuff 1,500 Easter eggs for our services, and helped prep and assemble activity kits that will support kids in our outpatient therapy programs.

Hope Overflow visits the Des Moines area each year on a week‑long spring break service trip, volunteering at nonprofits across the community. We’re grateful they chose to share their time, energy, musical talents and kindness with the children and families we serve. 💜 Wartburg College Department of Music

Images: Wartburg College volunteers preparing Easter eggs, assembling kits and singing to kids and staff.

Every child’s needs, strengths and goals are unique – and that means occupational therapy looks different for every chil...
04/04/2026

Every child’s needs, strengths and goals are unique – and that means occupational therapy looks different for every child!

Here are a few of the awesome things happening in OT at ChildServe each day:
💜 A child learning to zip their coat, tie shoes or manage daily routines
💜 Exploring new food textures and tolerating mealtime
💜 Strengthening fine‑motor skills through coloring, puzzles and play
💜 Calming sensory systems using movement, deep pressure or sensory tools
💜 Building confidence through play‑based activities just for them

Curious about ChildServe's OT services, intensives and clinics? Check out this blog by ChildServe Occupational Therapist Rachel Jensen: https://www.childserve.org/what-is-ot/.

Images: OT sessions at ChildServe.

ChildServe families, check out this upcoming resource! This free webinar series is for Spanish-speaking parents or prima...
04/03/2026

ChildServe families, check out this upcoming resource! This free webinar series is for Spanish-speaking parents or primary caregivers who have a child with a new autism diagnosis. Register at: https://bit.ly/autismoseminarios.

Note: Some content will be Iowa-specific. For more information, contact allison-drew@uiowa.edu. Thank you to the Iowa Regional Autism Assistance Program and University of Iowa Health Care for providing accessible support and resources to Iowa families!

ChildServe therapists are always willing to think outside the box to help children reach their goals. For Ira, who has a...
04/03/2026

ChildServe therapists are always willing to think outside the box to help children reach their goals. For Ira, who has autism and loves to swim, the team did so by taking their sessions to the Aquatic Center just down the hall at ChildServe – Johnston.

When Ira was just 2 years old, his doctor recommended ChildServe as a place to begin speech and occupational therapy, marking the start of a new journey. Now almost 3 years later, Ira has been nothing but brave, determined and full of joy every step of the way! 💜

Ira participates in aquatic therapy at ChildServe as part of his Occupational and Speech Therapy sessions. The heated, accessible pool offers a number of unique benefits that the kids we serve wouldn’t be able to get on land. Kids can receive enhanced sensory feedback, experience more awareness of their movements, and have fun in the water!

Ira’s dad, Reed, has been able to see tremendous growth with Ira since starting his time at ChildServe, along with a strong bond forming between Ira and his therapists.

“Overall seeing how much Ira has grown and how he understands different things going on around him has been absolutely amazing,” said Reed. “I am beyond blessed to get to hear him find his voice, little by little each day.”

Speech-Language Pathologist, Kelli Ubben, explains that since Ira started speech therapy in ChildServe’s therapeutic pool, he has demonstrated increased joint attention, imitation of play activities, gross motor imitation and verbal imitation.

“When Reed shared how much Ira loves water, we just knew he would be the perfect candidate for aquatic speech therapy,” said Kelli. “Ira has been an absolute joy to work with, and it has been so fun to watch him build connections with myself and others.”

“Ira is continuously uncovering the world around him and interacting with a multitude of people, situations, different experiences and even saying new words,” said Reed. “I'm over the moon proud and happy with all of it, times ten!”

Learn more about ChildServe's Speech Therapy program at https://bit.ly/ChildServeSpeechTherapy.

Images: Ira during his speech therapy session.

For many young children, developing early movement skills can take a little extra support, and that’s where ChildServe's...
04/02/2026

For many young children, developing early movement skills can take a little extra support, and that’s where ChildServe's Early Motor Intensive comes in.

The Early Motor Intensive helps kids under 35 pounds who are working on skills like rolling, sitting, crawling and transitioning from standing to walking. During these sessions, therapists most commonly use a technique called Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI).

This technique adds increased intensity to traditional physical therapy, improving coordination and strength through a variety of sensory experiences followed by a task like sitting, crawling, standing, walking, etc. The intensive lasts 8 weeks, with families attending 1-hour sessions 3 days per week.

Through this program, ChildServe Physical Therapist Dani Greiner and our team have witnessed a great amount of progress and growth for the kids we serve.

“Because of this service, we have seen a boost in overall strength and coordination during the intensive and afterwards, based on parent reports and have also seen significant improvements in pre- and post-testing,” said Dani. “We have seen several kids take their first steps, get in and out of sitting, or learn how to crawl among other skills. To help kids reach their goals, we use techniques tailored to each individual child including vibration plates, the Universal Exercise Unit and soft tissue mobilization techniques.”

If your family is currently receiving Physical Therapy at ChildServe, they can speak directly with their ChildServe physical therapist to learn more. If your family is not currently receiving services at ChildServe, call 515-331-4518 to speak with our intake team.

Images: Children working on their skills using the Early Motor Intensive program.

04/01/2026

We're accepting Autism Day Program referrals at ChildServe – Johnston and looking to welcome new children this spring! 💜

Our Autism Day Program is the only one of its kind in Iowa. We offer specialized weekday care for children with autism spectrum disorder. Children receive positive behavioral support from staff, along with occupational, speech and physical therapy on-site during the day to promote overall health and development.

Children may qualify if they:
✨ Are between the ages of 2-5
✨ Have active Medicaid
✨ Are currently in (or on the waitlist) for ChildServe outpatient therapy
✨ Can attend at least four hours per day, five days a week

If your child could benefit from ChildServe’s Autism Day Program, we’d love to connect! ➡️ 515-331-4518

Check out this video to see our Autism Day Program in action! ⬇️

We're excited to host Robert Jason Grant, Ed.D., LPC, NCC, RPT‑S™ for an interactive AutPlay Training!The AutPlay Therap...
03/31/2026

We're excited to host Robert Jason Grant, Ed.D., LPC, NCC, RPT‑S™ for an interactive AutPlay Training!

The AutPlay Therapy protocol is an integrative family play therapy approach that emphasizes a neurodiversity-affirming and informed approach to working with children and adolescents with autism, ADHD, sensory differences, learning disorders and developmental disabilities and their families.

This course is designed for Mental Health Therapists, Psychologists, BCBAs, Behavior Technicians, Speech Therapists and Occupational Therapists.

Register & Learn More: https://www.childserve.org/autplay-training-2026/.

How it started. ➡️ How it's going!The new Welcome Center at ChildServe – Des Moines has completely transformed – and we ...
03/31/2026

How it started. ➡️ How it's going!

The new Welcome Center at ChildServe – Des Moines has completely transformed – and we can’t wait for this refreshed space to greet the children and families we serve each day.

Across Iowa, ChildServe’s Welcome Centers and waiting rooms are home to countless great life moments: new beginnings, celebrations, friendships and everyday joy. The new Welcome Center at ChildServe – Des Moines will continue that tradition by offering a warm, welcoming start and finish to every family's visit. 💜

As our pediatric services grow, we’re actively connecting with families and providers to share our services and help even more kids live a great life.
💡 Learn about ChildServe – Des Moines: https://www.childserve.org/childserve-des-moines/
📱 Connect with our intake team: 515-331-4518
📍 1750 48th St. Des Moines, IA, 50310



Images: Before and after photos of progress at ChildServe – Des Moines.

Address

5406 Merle Hay Road
Johnston, IA
50131

Telephone

+15157278750

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Our Story

ChildServe knows kids and we know specialty healthcare. When families have questions about their child’s health and development, we’re here with answers and support. Our team of experts helps identify and meet the unique needs of children with developmental delays, disabilities, injuries, and other special healthcare needs to help them live a great life.