CF CAPS

Discovery meeting with today. Enjoyed brainstorming ways to partner in the development of our future workforce and community members.

Any guesses on the priority when it comes to skill development?


Cedar Falls Schools Foundation Falls Community School District CAPS Network

Not sure on his purpose quite yet, but we are sure working on grit and strengthening neck muscles during tummy-time even when it's hard because in CAPS we do hard things. Mentality!💪🐯

A little extra "nudge" for parents when thinking about having their son or daughter take CAPS experience😉


2025 CAPS Network National Survey Results

Hard to argue with these results...


CAPS Network National Survey Outcomes

When a CAPS Instructor gets it, there will be signs...💓

🔥 Suited up and ready to serve.

How can you not get fired up about opportunities like these?

CF CAPS Firefighter and CNA associates are gaining hands-on experience in the places where service truly matters. Through incredible partnerships with Cedar Falls Public Safety and Western Home Communities , associates are learning the skills, responsibility, and empathy required to serve and protect our community.

These are real-world pathways that allow young people to discover their purpose while building the local talent our community will depend on in the future.

This is what happens when a community invests in its young people. Associates find meaningful opportunities. Employers help develop future professionals. The entire Grow Cedar Valley becomes stronger.

The future of our community is in good hands.


CAPS Network Cedar Falls Schools Foundation

🎨⚡ That utility box downtown isn't just a utility box anymore!

Meet the CF CAPS team behind it: Aspen, Mia, Logan, and Caleb spent last Fall turning an idea into reality and pitching what could be. Kim Bear, with Community Main Street had wanted to get this idea going for several years yet CFU wasn’t exactly convinced with the idea. Enter CF CAPS associates infusing their ideas, creativity and professionalism at every meeting. Later in Spring 2026, Aspen Sparks took the reins and helped transform a Cedar Falls Utilities transformer box into public art, now on display downtown thanks to local artist Jordan McNamara.

It started with research: how have other cities done this? What materials hold up? Which local companies could install it? Then came the harder part-pitching CFU, working through safety concerns, and hammering out an agreement. This spring, the pace picked up fast: a public call for artists, a design committee review, a finalized concept, and vinyl installed, all in time for a August 13th ribbon cutting.

At the ribbon cutting, CFU CEO Susan Abernathy said it best: “We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Aspen and CAPS.” She called the students professional, diligent, and poised, and credited them with making the project happen.

Kim Bear (CF Community Main Street) served as a excellent client (and mentor) for Aspen as she moved through this project this past Spring. She said it best at the ribbon cutting, "Today is about art and beautification, but it's also about connection, collaboration, and community pride. It's about giving young people a voice in their community. It's about looking at familiar spaces with fresh eyes. And it's about recognizing that sometimes relatively simple ideas can have a lasting impact on how a place looks and feels."

This is exactly what CAPS is about- not a simulated project, but real research, real deadlines, and a real result the whole community can see. Mayor Danny Laudick summed it up: "Anytime we can get CAPS associates and local artists engaged in their community, that's when they get invested.”

One box down. Many more to come. 💛 Scroll to see the progression!

Cedar Falls Downtown District

"We remember the things that are hard." -

Today many of our associates are participating in their penning ceremony signifying they are ready to go out to represent themselves and the program as they take on clients and experiences in the community.

Not sure how anyone who gets the privilege of hearing Diane's sermon and doesn't want to run through a brick wall for CAPS; for her!💪

"You stand on the shoulders of the hundreds of CAPS associates before you."🔥🔥🔥
Cedar Falls Schools Foundation Cedar Falls Community School District

Congratulations to Allen College on the opening of the Van G. Miller Family Charitable Foundation Simulation Center!

This $4 million transformation adds 8,000 square feet of state-of-the-art learning space where future healthcare professionals can build their skills through realistic, hands-on clinical experiences.

Dr. Andy Pattee, Superintendent of Cedar Falls Community School District, and Ethan Wiechmann, Cedar Falls CAPS Director, attended the celebration and received a tour from UnityPoint Health Allen College President Dr. Jared Seliger.

Allen College and UnityPoint Hospitals have been a special partner to CF CAPS from the very beginning of the CAPS MED program in being the original host site for the experience. We are excited for our associates to interact with the center’s various simulations and learn alongside healthcare professionals in such an innovative environment.

Congratulations to Allen College and everyone who helped make this incredible space possible!

We were fortunate to be a part of an education gathering to gain insight into 's vision as well as how automation & are changing the manufacturing and farming landscape. The impact on education is significant; making alignment between education & workforce vital. More to come...