While the data tells part of the story of your impact, the human stories tell another - perhaps more powerful - story of what you do in Story County. Please provide one story, photo, and signed release form per fiscal year. Please scroll down and insert your content into the section below with the corresponding, correct fiscal year label. If you need additional guidance, please visit www.uwstory.org/toolkit-partner-agencies .

Thanks for helping "change the story in Story County."

For student-parents, childcare expenses are the biggest challenge facing the family’s monthly budget. We struggled a lot to find affordable care for our kid when he was born. Most childcare facilities in Ames don’t have sliding fee scales. Later, we were fortunate enough to find a spot in University Community Childcare (UCC). Our kid has been there for 5 years now, and we never thought of sending him to different childcare, not only due to the sliding fee scale they provide but also due to the excellent staff and teachers. Our kid has bonded so well with his teachers. Knowing that he is happy and receiving love and care while attending school is a great comfort. Of course, all of this could not have happened without the tremendous help and support from ASSET. Therefore, we would like to express our utmost gratitude to ASSET for the funds they make available to UCC and other childcare facilities in town to help parents like us.

Thank you, UCC and, Thank you, ASSET.

Ala’ Ali Khaleel- Mother of Nasser

We want to express our most profound appreciation and thanks to United Way of Story County.  As parents of two children that currently attend University Community Childcare (UCC), and as US Army veterans returning to school at Iowa State University; the affordability and high quality of childcare at UCC made it so that my husband and I both, could stay in school and finish our degrees.  Our daughter and son have bonded so well with the fantastic staff at UCC, and it is a tremendous comfort knowing that they are receiving the highest quality of care while we are attending classes. 

Sincerely,

Zachary, Lindsey, Finley, and Gideon Huber

Starting a new journey with a daughter of 3 years old, new culture, new life, and many emotional and financial stresses was more than challenging. Overtake these challenges couldn’t be possible without the support, help, and stand of the UCC teachers and staff. We were fortunate to start our new journey by being a part of the University Community Childcare (UCC). I remember that when I was looking for different childcare when I was still in my home country due to pandemic, I found that most childcare facilities in Ames don’t have flexible or affordable fee scales, especially for student-parents, and they don’t subject to many grants, which was the opposite with the UCC. I was so grateful to find a daycare with an excellent reputation and encouraging feedback with a flexible fee scale. Applying for grants takes a lot of time; however, I was surprised with the partial grant I received from the UCC staff starting from the first month!

Having all of the support, knowing the love and the care my daughter received from her teachers, and being well-bonded with her teachers is a great comfort. Therefore, we would like to thank the UCC staff and teachers and express our utmost gratitude to ASSET for all the support they make to help student-parents and other parents in similar conditions.

Thank you, UCC, and Thank you, ASSET.

Wedad Abu Adi – Ban’s Mother

We are so grateful for University Community Childcare (UCC) and the funding they receive. We moved to Ames in the fall so I could finish my veterinary degree and were struggling to find daycare for our infant. We were on several waitlists and calling several providers, checking for openings.  A week before classes started at ISU, UCC had an opening, and we were over the moon excited. Additionally, we learned about the sliding fee scale and that has been a major blessing. Childcare is a great expense and when we only have one income, it becomes a major part of the budget. The reduced rates that UCC is able to offer helps reduce the financial burden on families, without sacrificing the quality of care little ones receive.

We could not be happier about the care our son receives at UCC. He gets excited when we arrive in the parking lot every morning to drop him off. He loves going to daycare and we know he gets everything he needs when he is there. The staff at UCC is amazing and we are so fortunate to get to know them. Every morning and afternoon we are greeted by staff and our son is so excited to start playing when we arrive. We are extremely grateful for UCC, the staff, and the funding they receive to help support families.

Kate, Alan, and Tucker Sousek

From teen pregnancy to a doctorate in microbiology, the University Community Childcare Center has been a cornerstone to success in my family's life. Attending undergraduate and graduate school as a parent has been a significant challenge. One of my wife’s and my primary concerns since the birth of our first child has been whether they will have access to high-quality and affordable childcare. Thankfully, the fiscal support from the CCAMPIS program, United Way of Story County, City of Ames, Story County, and ISU Student Government has resulted in my wife’s and my ability to strive for excellence in our pursuit of education. This support, combined with the thoughtful and compassionate care provided by the teachers and staff at UCC, has provided my wife and me with the confidence to trust that our children are going to be safe and succeed. We can testify to the fact that the only reason why we have had the freedom to pursue our studies has been due to the access and associated comfort and peace of mind that UCC has provided. UCC has repeatedly demonstrated a commitment to high-quality childcare, as evidenced by its outstanding childcare quality ratings and accreditations from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. There is no other institution that can provide the quality of care and family assistance that UCC does, and we are eternally grateful to be part of the UCC family.

Sincerely,

Logan and Chelsey Ott

Balancing the demands of graduate education with parenting is an immense challenge, especially for families without nearby support networks. Both my husband and I are pursuing PhDs in rigorous academic programs that require long hours in lectures, research labs, and writing sessions. Our two-year-old daughter is the center of our world; however, our roles as student-researchers require time, concentration, and flexibility - resources that are often stretched thin by childcare responsibilities.

Before securing a spot at UCC, we constantly juggled our schedules, working in shifts and attending classes alternately so that one of us could be with our daughter. This arrangement limited our academic productivity, strained our mental health, and left little room for rest or intellectual focus. More importantly, it deprived our daughter of the socialization and structured development she needed.

Knowing that our daughter was in a safe, nurturing environment allowed us to engage fully in our research and academic commitments without constant worry. The daycare’s care-intensive approach - characterized by small teacher-to-child ratios, enriched developmental activities, and attentive staff - ensured that our daughter was not just being watched, but was actually learning and thriving.

Now, we share parenting joyfully rather than treating it as a logistical problem to solve daily, as we did before securing a spot at UCC. Beyond the individual benefits, this experience highlights a broader truth: access to affordable, quality childcare is not a luxury; it is a cornerstone of academic equity. Student-parents, particularly those without local family support, cannot fully participate in academic life without reliable childcare.

Institutions that prioritize accessible childcare invest in the success, diversity, and well-being of their communities. We can confidently say that we would not have come this far without the stability that UCC's childcare offers us.

Thank you.

Omotoyosi Adeyanju & Habeeb Odebiyi.