Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency

What Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency does

Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency (PLAEA) is a state-mandated regional educational service agency operating under Iowa Code Chapter 256B and Chapter 72 of the Iowa Administrative Code, headquartered in Pocahontas, Iowa. The agency is one of nine Iowa Area Education Agencies and serves 32 public school districts and 11 accredited nonpublic schools across 14 counties in North Central Iowa, encompassing approximately 31,687 K-12 students, including 4,333 students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). It is funded through state legislative appropriations, federal IDEA pass-through grants, and fee-for-service programs, and is governed as a public governmental entity with no private ownership interests.

PLAEA delivers a continuum of services spanning birth to age 21, including specialized instruction and related services (school psychology, speech-language pathology, occupational and physical therapy, audiology, vision, school social work), professional learning for educators, a media library of physical and digital resources, assistive technology with an Equipment Loan Closet, and the Lakes Partnership School day-treatment program for K-8 students with emotional and behavioral challenges. Technology is built on third-party platforms — ESCworks for registration, AEA Learning Online for statewide courses, FastBridge for assessment, and content subscriptions (Gale In Context, MackinVIA, Capstone PebbleGo, CareerLabs VR) — with no proprietary AI or ML systems identified.

The agency's business model is hybrid: most designated services under Chapter 72 are provided at no direct cost to districts and funded through state appropriations and federal IDEA grants, while ancillary fee-based revenue streams include paraeducator certification ($78 application), substitute authorization ($130 course registration plus $165+ application fees), coaching authorization courses, custom graphic design ($45/hour), and graduate credit partnerships with Buena Vista University, Morningside College, and Grand View University. The agency is regionally embedded via offices in Pocahontas (HQ), Algona, Fort Dodge, and Spencer, supported by physical van delivery routes and direct on-site service delivery into school districts.

Name

Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency

Legal name

Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency

Website

https://plaea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency is a state-mandated Iowa regional education service agency serving 32 public school districts and 11 nonpublic schools across 14 North Central Iowa counties, delivering special education, professional learning, media resources, and assistive technology to approximately 31,687 K-12 students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Educational Services

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Education Authorities & Municipal Education Offices (EDADABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community & Adult Education (Municipal/Community Schools) (EDAAAEAB), State/Provincial Education Department Administration (BPAIABAJ)

Keywords

• Special education services
• Professional development
• Educational support services
• Media library services
• School improvement

Headquarters

HQ city

Pocahontas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded AEA Services: As an Iowa Area Education Agency operating under Chapter 72 of the Iowa Administrative Code, Prairie Lakes AEA receives state funding to provide educational services to public and accredited nonpublic schools. Services including special education, professional development, and media resources are funded through legislative appropriations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency is a regional educational service agency that delivers special education and related services (OT, PT, speech-language, audiology, vision, school psychology, social work) to students from birth through age 21, plus professional learning, media library resources, creative services, and curriculum support to public and accredited nonpublic schools across north-central and northwest Iowa. It also operates the Lakes Partnership School day treatment program, an OT/PT Equipment Loan Closet, and certification programs for paraeducators, substitute teachers, and coaches.

Product overview

Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency is a regional educational service agency serving 32 public school districts and 11 accredited nonpublic schools across North Central Iowa with approximately 31,687 K-12 students and 4,333 students with IEPs. The organization operates as a multi-service platform offering Special Education Services (including related services like OT, PT, speech, hearing, vision, and school psychology), Professional Learning (educator development, paraeducator certification, substitute authorization), Media Library (physical and digital resources), Creative Services (printing and design), Curriculum & Instruction support, and specialized programs like the Lakes Partnership School day treatment program and Secondary Transition Services. Key products include Paraeducator Certification (three-course Generalist I program), Substitute Authorization training, Assistive Technology Services with equipment loan closet, and Early ACCESS/Birth to 5 early childhood services. The agency partners with AEA Learning Online for statewide online learning and uses the AEA Professional Learning Registration System (ESCworks) for course management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Special Education Services Comprehensive special education services including eligibility determination, specially designed instruction, and related services (audiology, OT, PT, speech-language, vision) for students ages birth to 21 in 32 public school districts and 11 accredited nonpublic schools.
• Professional Learning Professional development courses, workshops, and training programs for educators including license renewal credits, graduate credit options through partner universities, CEUs, and coaching services, delivered via ESCworks registration system and Zoom.
• Media Library Physical and digital resource library offering books, kits, hands-on learning materials, and 24/7 digital content access including Gale In Context, Capstone PebbleGo, MackinVIA, and CareerLabs VR for districts with subscriptions.
• Creative Services Graphic design and printing services including banners, directional signage, posters, programs, tickets, yard signs, and custom materials for school districts, billed at $45 per hour.
• Curriculum & Instruction Support Consultation and support services for curriculum development, instructional strategies, Iowa Core standards alignment, and evidence-based teaching practices in literacy, mathematics, and science.
• Paraeducator Certification Three-course hybrid certification program (Introduction, Instructional Support, Behavioral Supports) totaling 30 hours per course with clinical experience requirements. Leads to Paraeducator Generalist I certification through the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners.
• Substitute Authorization Course 15-hour training course meeting Iowa Board of Educational Examiners requirements covering Classroom Management, Strategies for Learning, Diversity, and Ethics. Leads to Limited or Full Substitute Authorization license valid for five years.
• Lakes Partnership School Day treatment school for K-8 students experiencing emotional and behavioral challenges. Operated in partnership with Spencer Community Schools as fiscal agent; districts billed for services provided to each individual student, with multidisciplinary team support and a goal of short-term placement and transition back to the public school setting.
• Secondary Transition Services Transition planning services preparing students with IEPs for post-school living, learning, and working. Includes transition assessments, IEP development, linkages to IVRS/DHS, coordination with colleges for 4+ programs, and monthly Vitals in Transition Zoom meetings hosted by Transition Coordinators.
• Assistive Technology Services Assistive technology assessment, consultation, and equipment loan services. Includes an assistive technology library with devices available for 8-week trials, plus Insignia Quick Link platform access for district teams.
• OT/PT Equipment Loan Closet Adaptive equipment loan program serving 14 counties in northwest Iowa, providing 8-week trial runs of OT/PT equipment to support insurance approval and family buy-in. Nationally recognized as a model program with framework presented at a national conference by Amy Profit.
• Occupational Therapy Services OT services for infants (0-3) and students (3-21) addressing motor and sensorimotor challenges impacting educational participation. Covers activities of daily living, fine motor, positioning, and pre-vocational tasks.
• Physical Therapy Services PT services addressing developmental delays and motor challenges affecting access to education. Focuses on gross motor, mobility, positioning, and play/leisure skills for children 0-3 and students 3-21.
• Speech-Language Pathology Services Speech-language services addressing articulation, language, voice, fluency, early literacy, and complex communication needs associated with disabilities including autism and physical impairment.
• Hearing Services Comprehensive hearing services including audiology evaluations, hearing assistive technology, hearing screenings for K and 2nd graders, and support from Teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (TDHHs).
• Vision Services Vision specialists and Teachers of the Visually Impaired provide instruction in Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), orientation and mobility, and partnerships with Iowa Department for the Blind.
• School Psychology Services Assessment of academic skills, aptitude, and social-emotional-behavioral issues; eligibility evaluations for special services; evidence-based interventions, counseling, and crisis management.
• School Social Work Services Collaboration with students, schools, and families to assess social-emotional and adaptive behavior needs; behavior intervention plan development; home-school-community linkages.
• Early Childhood/Preschool Services Early ACCESS services for birth to 3 years and special education services for ages 3-5, including Child Find identification, evaluation, and early intervention support for 123 birth-to-age-3 learners.
• English Learners (Title III) Services Consultation and support for English Learner students including EL Library resources, Title III consortium services, and professional development for EL teachers.
• Iowa Principal Leadership Academy Administrative leadership training program for current and aspiring principals, offered in partnership with Iowa's AEAs and the Iowa Department of Education.
• Mandatory Reporter Training Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter training required every three years for all staff licensed through Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, available in English and Spanish through AEA Learning Online at no cost.
• Evaluator Approval Training (iEvaluate) Iowa Department of Education approved evaluator training through iEvaluate platform, offered in partnership with AEA Learning Online for teacher evaluation certification.
• Coaching Authorization Course 55-hour self-paced Initial Coaching Authorization Course meeting Iowa Department of Education requirements covering human body mechanics, injury prevention, growth development, and coaching ethics.
• Special Education Consulting K-12 consultant services for developing strategies and interventions; eligibility determination support; ongoing coaching in curriculum activities and research-based strategies.
• PBIS and SEBH Services Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health (SEBH) services including MTSS/PBIS coaching network, Tier 2 interventions training (CICO, SAIG, Check & Connect), and mental health consultation.
• School Improvement Services School Improvement Facilitator-led support partnering with school and district teams to strengthen instruction through professional learning, MTSS implementation, and strategic coaching.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,333+ students with IEPs receiving special education services
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Iowa Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for education services. AEA operates under Chapter 72 of Iowa Administrative Code providing designated services. Partners on initiatives including evaluator approval training through iEvaluate, alternate assessments (Dynamic Learning Maps), and computer science professional development grants.
• Buena Vista University, Morningside College, and Grand View UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate credit partnerships allowing educators to earn graduate credit for AEA professional learning courses. Courses are approved for licensure renewal credit and graduate credit through these partnered institutions.
• Iowa Board of Educational ExaminerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState licensing board for educators. AEA provides approved courses for paraeducator certification, substitute authorization, and license renewal that feed into the Board's certification system.
• University of Northern Iowa (UNI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Grow Your Own School Psychologist Program. UNI offers Ed.S. in school psychology while participants work full-time. Prairie Lakes AEA is one of seven AEAs partnering with UNI. 90% of tuition/fees covered through grants. Graduates commit to 3 years of service in their AEA.
• University of Iowa School of Social WorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer MSW program in Sioux City. University extended application deadline to April 1 for Sioux City location where Prairie Lakes AEA helps spread the word to potential school social workers.
• Spencer Community SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost district and fiscal agent for Lakes Partnership School, a day treatment school for students with emotional/behavioral challenges. First school of its kind in Prairie Lakes AEA, opened September 2014. Spencer school serves as fiscal agent with districts billed for services.
• Other Northwest Iowa School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple districts partner with Prairie Lakes AEA for Lakes Partnership School services. Districts send students to the day treatment school and are billed for services provided to each individual student.
• Iowa Department for the BlindcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner in the statewide system for vision services. AEAs partner with this department along with Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired to provide vision services to students who are blind or visually impaired.
• Iowa Workforce DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency promoting Registered Apprenticeship programs across Iowa. Prairie Lakes AEA shares information about apprenticeship opportunities with educators and students as part of secondary transition planning.
• Indian Hills Community College, Iowa Lakes Community College, Northwest Iowa Community College, Kirkwood Community College, Iowa School for the DeafminorStrategic or Co-development Partner4+ program partners offering vocational and life skills programs for students with disabilities. Programs include RISE, SAVE, SPAN, VITAL, and Iowa School for the Deaf 4Plus Transition program. Students remain on home district roster while attending.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Heartland AEA: One of Iowa's 9 Area Education Agencies serving central Iowa; provides the same statutory special education supervision, professional learning, and media services under Chapter 256B/Chapter 72 with overlapping service portfolios and shared ESCworks infrastructure.
• Great Prairie AEA: Southeast Iowa AEA delivering comparable birth-21 special education and educator professional learning under the same Iowa Code Chapter 256B mandate; peer of comparable scale serving rural districts.
• Mississippi Bend AEA: Quad Cities-area Iowa AEA offering identical statewide-mandated services to ~14 counties; uses the same ESCworks registration platform and shares professional learning networks — a near-perfect functional peer.
• Grant Wood AEA: Cedar Rapids-based Iowa AEA with overlapping mandate and service continuum including special education supervision, PD, and media services; competes indirectly through shared statewide AEA branding and infrastructure.
• Green Hills AEA: Council Bluffs/southwest Iowa AEA providing the same statutory educational services; competes for shared talent, vendor partnerships, and statewide AEA initiatives.
• Central Rivers AEA: Iowa AEA serving the Cedar Falls/Waterloo region with the same mandated service mix (special education, professional development, media, assistive technology); comparable headcount, district count, and statutory structure to Prairie Lakes AEA.
• Keystone AEA: Northeast Iowa AEA (Elkader) with the same mandated services; an eighth direct peer among Iowa's 9 AEAs, completing the comparables set.
• Northwest AEA: Sioux City-based Iowa AEA serving a similarly rural northwest Iowa territory; closest geographic peer with shared school district types and comparable scale (number of districts, IEP caseload).

Regional players

• Erie 1 BOCES: New York Board of Cooperative Educational Services serving Western New York districts — functional equivalent of an Iowa AEA in another state, offering shared special education, PD, and cooperative purchasing services to member school districts.
• Education Service Center Region 4: Texas ESC serving Houston-area districts with parallel service portfolio (special education, PD, school improvement); analogous regional cooperative service delivery model outside Iowa.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency