National Child Care Company Announces Iowa Expansion
PLYMOUTH, Minn. (May 21, 2018) – New Horizon Academy, a Minnesota-based family-owned and operated child care provider, has announced plans to expand in Iowa, adding three Des Moines area locations in 2018. The three schools will bring 530 much-needed openings for children ages six weeks through five years as the region continues its rapid growth, particularly of young families with children.
The opening of the first New Horizon Academy, located at 550 SW 9th Street in the Gray’s Landing development in downtown Des Moines, which is currently under construction, is slated for July. Ground will be broken for a second location, in West Des Moines at 9040 University Ave., on May 21, with an opening expected in September. Next month, construction begins on a third location in Johnston, at 8633 Crescent Chase, which is expected to open in October.
Teachers will care for and educate children between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The New Horizon Academy schools features safe, well-equipped, and age-appropriate indoor and outdoor classrooms and playgrounds that are thoughtfully designed to enhance learning through play.
“Our expansion team closely tracks demographics to identify communities that are experiencing population booms and analyze the need for child care resources for growing families,” said Chad Dunkley, CEO of New Horizon Academy, which has 60 locations concentrated primarily in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. “We also match demographic criteria of communities against what we’ve seen in the Twin Cities in terms of parent expectations for care and early childhood education, and how we can uniquely serve these needs. All around, Iowa was a natural choice for our national expansion and we look forward to becoming a part of the Des Moines community.”
As part of its presence in communities, the company also advocates for families at the state and federal levels, on opportunities and issues related to quality rankings and standards for child care facilities, and access and affordability of quality care for families. New Horizon Academy is a recognized leader for its involvement in early childhood brain development research as well as research on the economic returns of investing in early learning programs.
“We look forward to partnering with Iowa legislators and representing a greater portion of the Midwest at the U.S. capitol, on behalf of Des Moines families,” said Dunkley, who currently serves as president of the Minnesota Childcare Association and has been a leader in the launch of the state’s early childhood scholarships and the Parent Aware ranking system for families choosing care for their children.
New Horizon Academy has been serving families since 1971, and provides highly trained teachers, a proven curriculum, and safe and secure facilities, all aimed at supporting children’s self-esteem and preparing them for kindergarten and beyond. New Horizon Academy is a nationally recognized high quality early learning provider with all of its eligible centers accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the gold standard in its industry. New Horizon Academy’s mission is to provide the best child development on the planet. For more information, call 515-608-6933 or visit www.NewHorizonAcademy.net
