The Iowa Department of Education today awarded over $2 million in competitive grants to eight school districts to establish therapeutic classrooms for learners whose emotional or behavioral needs impact their ability to be successful in their learning environment.
“Therapeutic classrooms across Iowa provide vibrant, safe and healthy learning environments that best support students’ individual cognitive and behavioral needs,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “We commend this year’s awardees and their community partners for their leadership and commitment to modeling best practices in skill building, stress and trauma coping, mental health treatment, and crisis prevention and intervention.”
The districts awarded a Therapeutic Classroom Incentive Grant for the 2025-26 school year are:
- Bondurant-Farrar CSD
- Cedar Rapids CSD
- Cherokee CSD
- Davenport CSD
- Durant CSD
- Keokuk CSD
- Pella CSD
- Spencer CSD
The Therapeutic Classroom Incentive Grant was established through state legislation signed into law in 2020 and is part of a statewide effort to increase mental health supports for children, youth and families. Now in its fifth round of funding, the awardees may use the grants to establish new classrooms or enhance critical components into current classrooms or programs that are being developed as therapeutic classrooms. Therapeutic supports include such things as skill building, support to cope with stress and trauma, mental health treatment and crisis intervention and follow-up.
In determining awards, priority was given to competitive district applicants that had applied previously and not received an award and to new district applicants that scored competitively. Additional consideration was given to ensure representation across small, medium and large districts. Applicants collaborating with other agencies to provide the therapeutic classrooms across Iowa's Behavioral Health Districts were also prioritized.
Proposals submitted by the eight awarded districts will serve over 150 pre-K through grade 12 students, establish 17 new therapeutic classrooms and will expand mental health supports for youth across eight counties located in five of the state’s Behavioral Health Districts.
Grants will be distributed this fall for district implementation during the 2025-26 school year.
More information about Therapeutic Classroom Incentive Grants is available on the Iowa Department of Education’s website.