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Preschool & pre-K

Preschools & Pre-K in Iowa

Preschool and pre-K programs across Iowa take children from about 3 until kindergarten. Full-time preschool-age care at a center costs a median of $138 a week in the middle Iowa county (2022).

preschools and pre-K programs listed
345
towns
159
towns have their own preschools and pre-K page
29
of all Iowa daycares
11%
Preschool & pre-KIowa
What puts a daycare on this listThe state record lists preschool-age children among the ages it serves or names a state pre-K program, or it says it offers pre-K, or its name says preschool, pre-K or nursery school. Public school pre-K classes are often not on child care license lists; check with your school district too.A daycare without this tag may still run a preschool room; ask.

Preschool and pre-K

What preschool costs in Iowa

Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Iowa county (2022)
$138
The median of 99 county medians, from $128 in the lowest county to $160 in the highest.

County prices: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022 (median full-time weekly price).

Iowa

Largest towns for preschools and pre-K in Iowa

Cedar Rapids20 preschoolsSioux City16 preschoolsAnkeny14 preschoolsDes Moines12 preschoolsWest Des Moines11 preschoolsUrbandale9 preschoolsCedar Falls7 preschoolsIowa City7 preschoolsJohnston7 preschoolsDavenport6 preschoolsWaukee6 preschoolsAltoona5 preschools

Programs

Programs in Iowa

Counts come from the state record and what each daycare says it offers. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.

ProgramListed
All daycares3,122
Take infants168
Child care centers1,478
Accept subsidy33
In-home daycares1,644
Christian & church daycares143
Montessori schools33
Preschools & pre-K345
Early morning daycare290
Part-time daycare74
Drop-in daycare17
Bilingual daycare13
Head Start118

The Iowa state record

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services licenses daycares in Iowa.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
On some licenses only; elsewhere shown where the daycare gives them
Inspections
Every visit the state publishes back to 2021
Cited rules
Each cited rule, in the state's own wording
Search the Iowa state records

Before you enroll

Choosing a preschool or pre-K in Iowa

  1. 1

    Ask about the day

    Ask how the day runs: free play, circle time, outdoor time and naps. Ask what children do to get ready for kindergarten.

  2. 2

    Half day or full day

    Many preschools run half days or school-year hours. If you work full time, ask about before- and after-care.

  3. 3

    Ask about cost

    Ask for the tuition, the registration fee and whether the state's pre-K or child care assistance can pay part of it.

  4. 4

    Check the license record

    Open a listing for its state license, the ages it serves and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.

Iowa

Cost, inspections and ratios in Iowa

Daycare cost in IowaWeekly prices by age and countyWhat Iowa inspectors citeThe rules cited most, and what they meanStaff-to-child ratios in IowaHow many children each adult may care forTour checklist for IowaQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 159 Iowa towns with preschools and pre-K, A to Z

A13 towns
B10 towns
C13 towns
D10 towns
E6 towns
F4 towns
G6 towns
H10 towns
I4 towns
J1 town
K3 towns
L5 towns
M12 towns
N7 towns
O7 towns
P6 towns
R5 towns
S14 towns
T6 towns
U1 town
V2 towns
W14 towns

Nearby

Nearby states

Illinois8,381 preschoolsWisconsin4,400 preschoolsNebraska2,421 preschoolsMissouri2,217 preschoolsMinnesota674 preschoolsSouth Dakota46 preschools

Questions

Questions about preschools and pre-K in Iowa

How many preschools and pre-K programs are in Iowa?

345 preschools and pre-K programs are listed in 159 Iowa towns. A daycare without this tag may still run a preschool room; ask.

Which Iowa town has the most preschools and pre-K programs?

Cedar Rapids, with 20 listed. Next are Sioux City (16) and Ankeny (14).

What is the difference between preschool and pre-K?

Pre-K is the year before kindergarten, usually for 4-year-olds, and many states fund free or low-cost pre-K. Preschool is the wider term for programs for children of about 3 to 5. Many daycares run both, and this list has both.

Is there free preschool near me?

Head Start is free for children 3 to 5 from families who qualify, and many school districts run free pre-K classes. School-district pre-K is often not on child care license lists, so check with your school district too.

What age is pre-K?

Pre-K is usually for children who turn 4 by a cutoff date in late summer or early fall, the year before kindergarten. Each state sets its own cutoff.

What is the difference between preschool and daycare?

A preschool teaches children of about 3 to 5 before kindergarten, often for part of the day. A daycare looks after children while parents work, often all day, and many daycares run a preschool room. This list has both: places whose state record serves preschool-age children, that offer pre-K on their own website, or that are named a preschool.

Who licenses daycares in Iowa?

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services licenses daycares in Iowa. It publishes its inspections and the rules it cited, and we copy them onto each listing.