Grace Needs Your Help

We have been busy through February and haven't posted anything here in a while. Grace is doing well and making some great gains thanks impart to the time she is spending at Daycare for Exceptional Children. They specialized staff members, adaptive equipment (that we could never afford), and lots love thats helping Grace catch up developmentally and physically.

Daycare for Exceptional Children is in danger of closing due to a lack of funding available through Polk County's Mental Health Services. This lack of funding will include cuts to Meals on Wheels, Prison Mental Health Services, Job Coaching for persons with disabilities and many others come July 1.

Unfortunately no one is really working towards a solution. We need you to contact your local state senator and representative and ask them to restore mental health funding statewide. This is not just a Polk County issue it will effect all counties, some more harsh and quicker than others.

For more information please see the Polk County Funding Crisis Page.

Here is the text from a letter we already sent to all of Iowa's Senators and Representatives, feel free to reference Grace or ourselves in your communication:

We are writing on behalf of a little girl we’ve only known for a little over a year – our daughter. When Grace was diagnosed with a rare form of Epilepsy at 4½ months we were devastated. Now eight months later we are beginning to find order and resources to help Grace.

In addition to Grace’s intractable Epilepsy she has severe acid reflux, hypo-thyroidism, a G-tube for feeding, and has been diagnosed as mentally retarded with an two to four month level of development at one year of age.

Daycare for Exceptional Children is pivotal for our child. Grace has been there only a few months, but already she has made great strides under their care. We are very afraid about the potential of Daycare for Exceptional Children closing July 1.

Without Polk County funding to assist in paying for daycare we would not be able to afford these services. We ask that you do what you can to restore the funding to counties that the legislature in the past cut (18 million) due to a lack of funds statewide. Or if it is possible to remove/raise the cap counties can tax their residents to pay for services like Daycare for Exceptional Children.

If funding is not restored we, like many other families, will no longer be able to afford to send our child to Daycare for Exceptional Children, which will result in its closing. The specialized care provided at Daycare for Exceptional Children costs $9 per hour (partially paid for by the family and Polk County) which is less than what other providers charge.
Our other options are:
- to hire a licensed nurse to supervise feeding and medications in addition to paying for daycare services though another provider
- one of us leave our job in order to stay home with Grace to care for her needs which will result in us having to sell our home and move into an apartment
- or move out of the state that we have both been born, raised, educated, and lived most of our adult life in order to find the level of care that Grace needs.

None of these options are what we want for Grace, as we truly believe that the equipment, socialization, and activities provided by daycare are the best. We want the best.

If we can answer any questions or provide you with further information please let us know.

Kevin and Joy Harris