By Jo Christine Miles, director of Principal Foundation and Principal Community Relations

Across Iowa, school districts are making difficult decisions as they balance rising costs, competing priorities and growing demands. Those conversations matter. But regardless of how they unfold, one truth remains: Our children need more adults in their corner, not fewer.

At a time when Iowa schools are being asked to do more amid increasing financial pressures, businesses and communities should aim to become stronger partners in supporting the children who will shape Iowa’s future.

In my work, I spend a lot of time thinking about data: economic development trends, educational attainment rates and community needs assessments. Yet over the past year, I’ve been reminded that the most important measure of our future is far more human: whether our children feel seen, supported and connected.

Teachers are on the frontlines of this work every day, and parents remain children’s first and most important champions. In Iowa, nearly three-quarters of children have all available parents participating in the workforce. Families are working hard every day to provide for their kids. Supporting our youths is a shared responsibility, and neither schools nor busy parents should have to carry it alone.

Education has always been a shared responsibility. Not because businesses can solve every challenge schools face, but because communities have always played an essential role in helping children succeed. The relationships students build with mentors, volunteers, neighbors and caring adults are just as important as the lessons they learn in the classroom.

Over the last year, I had the opportunity to see that firsthand.

The power of relationships

At the start of the school year, I learned that Garton Elementary School in Des Moines had just one consistent community volunteer. One. That stayed with me.

So Principal Community Relations committed to doing more. Each month, Principal employees who volunteered would spend a day at the school reading in every classroom. But what mattered most wasn’t just the reading; it was the connection. The conversations that followed. The questions students asked. The simple but powerful act of showing up, month after month.

Over time, something shifted. Students opened up more. They engaged more. And perhaps most importantly, they began to see that people beyond their immediate world cared about their success. When they saw us walking the halls they would smile and exclaim, “My Principal reader is here!”

Those moments may seem small, but they reflect something much larger.

Research from Raj Chetty and Opportunity Insights has shown that relationships and social networks are among the strongest predictors of a child’s long-term social and economic mobility. 

Children who are surrounded by trusted adults and strong, supportive connections are more likely to stay engaged in school, graduate and build stable, successful lives. They are also more resilient, better able to navigate challenges because they know they are not alone. 

I saw that truth in countless small moments, in a student raising their hand, in a conversation that continued after a book was closed, in the confidence that began to take root when a child feels seen. 

Teachers also noticed changes. They reported students’ improved information recall, particularly when our book and discussion overlapped with core curriculum topics, increased interest in reading and appreciation for the opportunity to connect with adults who show genuine interest and care. 

Additionally, the school reported that many students who began the year significantly below benchmark made measurable progress toward grade-level literacy proficiency. Some of these students increased their literacy assessment scores by as much as 93 points, with many students more than doubling their baseline scores. Teacher instruction and literacy intervention were key to these learning gains, but the school also credits the conversations and connections Principal readers fostered as motivating the students as well. 

These outcomes reminded me that investing in children isn’t only about funding programs or purchasing new resources. It’s also about showing up consistently enough that children begin to believe they matter and use that belief to fuel their development.

And that matters for Des Moines.

Investing in our future

Like many cities, we spend a great deal of time thinking about how to attract talent, grow our economy and remain a place where people want to build their lives. But that future doesn’t start in boardrooms. It begins in our elementary school classrooms.

The students in our schools today are the workforce, leaders and neighbors of tomorrow. When we invest in them, not just financially but relationally, we are investing in the long-term strength of our community.

Businesses often ask where they can make the greatest impact in their communities. My answer is simple: Show up in your schools. Not because schools need businesses to replace what only education can provide, but because every child benefits when more caring adults become part of their support system.

Volunteer to read. Mentor a student. Help a teacher. Build partnerships that last beyond a single day of service.

These may seem like small acts, but together they can create something much bigger: a community where children know they are seen, valued and capable of achieving more than they imagined.

The question isn’t whether we care about our children’s success. I believe we do. The question is whether we are willing to act on that belief in consistent, meaningful ways.

Because while schools provide the foundation, communities help build the framework around every child.

And when that support is strong and steady, our children don’t just hold on, they soar.

Jo Christine Miles is the director of the Principal Foundation and community relations at Principal Financial Group. In this role, she leads the company’s philanthropic strategy and enterprise-wide community initiatives, including grantmaking, employee giving, volunteerism and strategic partnerships. She oversees efforts to support essential needs, foster social and cultural connections and advance initiatives that support financial security for underserved populations.