Welcome. I used to live in the Muscatine area... tons of great lakes and ponds spread across the state that hold big crappie. And congrats on getting the kid into fishing... my 4 year old loves fishing with me.
As for the pole question... BnM and other outfitters all have good selections, but ya know... the best pole i've found for crappie, are the small 5' ultra lites you can get sat Bass pro or Wal Mart... except for the cold weather when the Crappie are in the deep water... boat fishermen cast towards and fish the shallows, cover, cat tails etc. I can reach the same spots by bank... and it's less expensive. Just use lighter line and tackle and you'll do fine.