Best Daycare Centers in Des Moines, IA

Woodlawn Extended Day Program receives mostly positive feedback, with parents praising the teaching staff's care and their children's learning progress. However, one parent reported a serious incident involving physical handling of a child that was not resolved to their satisfaction.

One parent reports severe safety incidents including physical injuries and exposure to medication, alleging aggressive handling by staff. The reviewer expresses extreme dissatisfaction with the care provided, citing multiple concerning events within a single year.

Parents consistently praise Uncle Sam's Federal Child Care Center (also referred to as All Star Daycare) for its caring staff and family-like environment. Director Karen is frequently highlighted for her attentiveness, professionalism, and support with child development and special needs. Multiple parents report significant child growth, smooth transitions, and strong staff-child relationships.

All Star Day Care in Des Moines receives consistently high praise from parents. The daycare, led by director Karen, is recognized for its family-like atmosphere, individualized attention, caring staff, and support with child development and special needs. Parents highlight smooth transitions, strong emotional bonds between staff and children, and a welcoming environment.

Capitol Park Early Learning Center receives overwhelmingly positive reviews, with parents praising the caring and attentive staff, strong curriculum, and supportive leadership under director Shelly. One negative review alleges poor classroom management and inappropriate director conduct under a previous administration. Most reviewers highlight their children's happiness, learning progress, and the center's affordability.

Parents consistently praise Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center Downtown for exceptional staff care, strong communication, and a family-oriented atmosphere. Children reportedly thrive developmentally and emotionally in this environment. All reviewers express high trust in the center's ability to care for their children.

House of Mercy Child Development Center receives mixed reviews. Most reviewers praise the welcoming and professional staff, particularly front desk personnel and therapists. However, one reviewer criticized rigid policies and lack of accommodations during quarantine situations.

Wee Care Center receives mixed reviews with strong polarization between parents. Positive reviewers praise the caring staff, religious instruction, affordability, and secure environment, with some families using the facility for 10+ years. Negative reviewers report inadequate child supervision and development, poor hygiene/sanitation practices, excessive illness outbreaks, overbilling, and unprofessional director behavior.

One parent describes the Kids Klub as having nice teachers and fun activities, noting that staff go above and beyond to answer questions. Conversely, a separate review warns that the program can terminate enrollment for special needs children due to staffing issues or private funding policies.

Step by Step Learning Center receives highly polarized reviews. The majority of parents praise the clean facility, loving staff, and positive experience for their children. However, two negative reviews raise serious concerns about cleanliness, pest issues, and unprofessional handling of complaints.

Little Sprouts Head Start receives predominantly positive reviews, with most parents praising the caring staff, director Shannon, and their children's development and happiness. However, a few parents reported serious concerns about professionalism, safety protocols, and inconsistent care quality depending on which staff members are present.

Adventure Club receives mixed reviews with a significant divide between locations. The Des Moines location has positive feedback about activities, staff friendliness, and billing ease. However, the Schererville location has serious complaints regarding incident management, supervision, billing issues, and food policies.

CFI Child Development Center receives mixed reviews. Positive reviews praise the caring staff, director Sam's responsiveness, communication with parents, and quality food. However, recent reviews raise serious safety and neglect concerns, including inadequate diaper changes, insufficient staffing, and a child found unsupervised off-premises.

Little Sprouts receives mostly positive reviews with parents praising the caring staff, particularly owner Shannon, and noting their children's development and happiness. However, some parents report significant concerns about inconsistent staff professionalism, safety issues, inadequate supervision, and disorganization in enrollment and communication.

One parent describes a highly positive experience with the after-school program, highlighting creative activities and patient staff, while another parent reports a negative experience involving unexplained injuries and concerning staff interactions. A third review cites general management and staff rudeness, contrasting sharply with the positive feedback regarding the center's caring environment.

One parent praises the staff's ability to manage children effectively, noting they were well-behaved yet allowed to play. Another review describes the group as unstable and threatening, suggesting they must be stopped from taking over the world.

Recent feedback highlights serious concerns regarding staff misconduct, including allegations of bullying and physical aggression between students, as well as inadequate supervision leading to excessive screen time. Parents also report significant logistical failures, such as a lack of after-hours care for working families, unresponsiveness to complaints, and issues with lost personal property.

One parent describes severe operational issues, citing constant school cancellations due to teacher absences and a lack of substitute staff. The reviewer also highlights significant communication failures, noting that class cancellations are not communicated via text, leading to wasted trips to the facility.

Bear Basics Children's Center has overwhelmingly negative reviews with serious allegations of child abuse, neglect, and unsafe conditions spanning multiple years. One parent gave a positive rating, but nine detailed negative reviews describe physical abuse, inadequate supervision, poor hygiene, medication misuse, and unsafe environments. The center appears to have a pattern of safety and welfare concerns.

New Horizon Academy receives consistently high praise from parents across all reviews. Parents highlight the caring and attentive staff, smooth transitions for children, strong developmental progress, and engaging educational activities. The facility is noted as clean, bright, and well-maintained with excellent communication through daily photo updates.