YSS of Boone County
YSS of Boone County is committed to creating hope and opportunity by putting kids first. With a community-based approach, YSS’s services are tailored to fit the unique needs of youth in Boone.
YSS empowers youth by providing education to build healthy minds and bodies; counseling to overcome life's challenges; and stability to focus on the future.
Our staff are dedicated to building brighter futures for youth, and our YSS of Boone County Community Advisory Board ensures we’re making decisions for the betterment of the community.
YSS of Boone County
105 South Marshall Street
Boone, IA 50036
Phone: 515-433-2091
Our Programs
Afterschool & Summer Programs
YSS Kids Club offers fun and engaging care for elementary kids before/after school and during the summer. We offer the program in the Boone, Ogden, Madrid, and United school districts. Learn more.
Counseling Services
Our licensed providers offer counseling to clients of all ages using a wide variety of therapeutic approaches. Learn more.
Foster Care Advocacy & Aftercare
YSS of Hamilton County provides support to young adults who have experienced foster care or other out-of-home placement, helping them move toward stability and self-sufficiency. Learn more.
Mentoring
The YSS Mentoring program builds positive relationships with life-long impact. We offer school-based mentoring (grades K-8) in the Boone, Madrid, and Ogden school districts, as well as community-based mentoring (ages 6-17) in Boone County. Learn more.
Pregnancy & Parenting Education
Our Nest and Healthy Futures programs provide parenting education and supplies for young mothers. Learn more.
Prevention
We prepare kids to make healthy and positive choices through school and community programming. Learn more.
Supportive Housing
YSs offers individualized support and rental assistance for young adults experiencing homelessness. Learn more.
Teen Maze
One of YSS's biggest events each year takes place at the Boone County Fairgrounds. More than 1,300 seventh grade students from a dozen schools in Central Iowa participate in the interactive, experiential event.
A collaboration between YSS and the Division 11 Kiwanis Clubs of Boone, Greene, and Story Counties, Teen Maze helps youth learn to make the right decisions, as well as understand how consequences of their actions can affect their futures and those around them.
During Teen Maze, students participate in activities that teach how to prevent drug/alcohol use, teen pregnancy, and smoking, as well as provide information on how to get jobs, the impact of social media, and many other influential topics.
Along with YSS and the Division 11 Kiwanis clubs, other organizations and businesses such as Iowa State University, local medical clinics, mental health professionals, law enforcement, and financial institutions provide their resources to the teens during the event. YSS is dedicated to helping youth make positive, healthy choices to build a brighter future.
21,553
Number of therapy sessions by YSS providers in 2022
4,748
Total volunteer hours from YSS mentors in 2022
“The YSS staff were so supportive, and they truly wanted me to succeed. They didn’t push me; they guided me in a way that worked for me.”
– Jess
“Thanks to YSS therapists, my daughter learned to love, value, and respect herself and our family. Home is home again because of the counseling she received.”
– Anonymous Parent
Noah's Story
When Noah was in second grade and experiencing turmoil in his personal life, he found stability through the YSS Mentoring program in Boone. His mentor, Macy, ate lunch with him, played games, and always asked how he was doing. Those interactions gave him something positive in his life when he needed it most.
Now a junior at Boone High School, Noah decided to pay it forward by becoming a YSS mentor to a young student.
"You get to know your mentee really well, and you grow a relationship with them," Noah says. "This kid is so happy when he sees me through his classroom door. It makes me feel good knowing I’m impacting someone else’s life, just like my mentor did for me when I was younger."
Our Leadership
Jeannette Flynn
Director of Community Engagement
JFlynn@yss.org
YSS of Boone County Community Advisory Board
Chair: Sandi Johnson
See a full list of board members.
