New employee benefit assists parents and their children

The newest offering in the Adventure2 program launched Jan. 10 and centers around parenting support resources. The free Parenting Success Solution gives employee families 24/7 access to tools and resources that help parents understand, teach and better communicate with their children. 

WorkLife and WellBeing coordinator Stephanie Downs said the program gives Iowa State another way to assist employees. The service also can be beneficial for parents as they adjust to new work routines that may include working from home more often with family members around, Downs said.

"Parenting and child care continue to be challenging. Adding work to parenting creates another layer to the challenge," she said. "As ISU WellBeing continues to focus on work-life and whole person well-being, including families, we know our employees are seeking additional skills and resources to adapt to the increasing demands of an ever changing world. This solution was a chance for ISU to offer something we don't have anywhere else to support and build resiliency skills for our employees and their families."

What is offered?

The program has courses on parenting skills, tips and practices to help parents support children from formative years through teenage years and beyond. It can help children better manage emotions and improve social skills. Employees may use up to 14 hours of free consultations with board certified behavior analysts each year. The analysts are trained to deal with many common developmental issues children encounter.

"Knowing that the ramifications of the past two to three years have put a huge strain on mental health providers, I think this will be a great alternative if someone is on a really long waitlist with their child," said WorkLife and family services coordinator Cris Broshar. "It allows them to get live, virtual support with someone trained to deal with whatever issues they may be experiencing."

Broshar said in-person appointments with behavior analysts can be difficult to get in a timely manner, making this service especially beneficial.

How to use

All employees have access to Parenting Success Solution but must sign up for Adventure2 to use it.

"Putting the program in Adventure2 allows us to communicate more effectively because we have those tools built in without having to put them elsewhere," Downs said. "Employees do have to register but they do not have to take part in any other programs or try to earn points if they don't want to." 

There are four ways to sign up using your @iastate.edu email address:

  • Click on the direct link: iastate.limeade.com
  • Download the LimeadeONE app on your mobile device and enter Iowa State University as your employer before following prompts.
  • Go to the ISU Wellbeing Adventure2 webpage to sign in
  • Add Adventure2 to your Okta apps and join from there

Once logged in, employees click on the link for the program and can use the content as needed at their own pace. Videos -- some can be watched with your child -- articles, webinars and other information are available. Content is broken into three categories: foundational lessons for parents and caregivers, social and emotional learning, and well-being lessons for the whole family.