Nearly 1,000 child care slots opening in Des Moines metro
Six child care centers are opening in the Des Moines metro this year, bringing nearly 1,000 much-needed slots for families with young children.
According to the Iowa Child Care Resource and Referral, both Polk and Dallas counties have a shortage of child care options.
New housing is bringing in more families to the metro, which saw the population of children age 5 and younger increase from 2012 to 2017. But during that same span, the metro had a decrease in the number of child care programs, the resource and referral agency reports.
Minneapolis-based New Horizon Academy is building three of the new child care centers in Des Moines, Johnston and West Des Moines.
The company’s centers will have room for about 530 children.
“Our expansion team closely tracks demographics to identify communities that are experiencing population booms and analyze the need for child care resources,” said Chad Dunkley, chief executive of New Horizon Academy.
New Horizon’s first center will open this summer at 550 S.W. Ninth St. near downtown Des Moines in the Cityville mixed-use development. The multi-story center will have a rooftop playground for preschoolers and a ground-floor playground for infants and toddlers, Watson said.
The Cityville location will accept children from six weeks to kindergarten.
The company’s second center will open in late fall at 9040 University Ave. in West Des Moines. It will accept up to 182 children from six weeks to fourth grade. Programs include before- and after-school and summer sessions.
The Johnston center at 8633 Crescent Chase also will accept 182 children when it opens by the end of the year. It is similar in design to the West Des Moines center.
The three child care centers are New Horizon’s first foray into the Iowa market. The company operates about 65 centers in three states.
New Horizon was founded 47 years ago by Dunkley’s mother, Susan Dunkley. Chad Dunkley was the center’s first student.
