Child care in Ankeny
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Iowa Department of Human Services
Registered child care centers and homes should all be listed. Many take part in a quality rating system that should also be searchable.
When I did that for Ankeny almost all the places were full that we contacted. Are you looking for an in-home or a center? Big difference in a lot of ways.
I have a 6-month old so I researched this pretty heavily last year at this time. PM me if you have any questions or anything else.
I have a 6-month old so I researched this pretty heavily last year at this time. PM me if you have any questions or anything else.
We use Apple Tree Children's Center that is on 1st St. next to Bandana's. The have a decent center, with good teacher to child ratios. We have 2 boys, just about to be 3 and 5. For the 5 year old, the preschool program they do is very good. They review letters, numbers, work on spelling their name, and writing to get the kids ready for kindergarten. For my younger son, it is more of a play atmosphere, but still structured and they work on manners and listening skills at that age.
For what we looked at in Ankeny, most of the major centers (La Petite Academy, Tender Years, Child's View) we felt that Apple Tree had the best environment and preschool education. We used to live in Ames and went to the Bright Horizons center at Vet Med, that place was the absolute best that we have ever been to, but the Apple Tree center is pretty good to.
The only issue I would say there is, is that communication sometimes get's lost. There might be a special day, where we need to bring something for our kids and we find out about it the day before. Also, once a child enters kindergarten, Apple Tree does not do before and after school care, so if that is something you might need down the line, it is something to consider.
We choose not to do in-home daycares given that you are at the mercy of that person's schedule, if they take vacation, you have to and if they are sick, you don't have a place to take your kid(s). With a center, they are always open, all year round. But this is all a matter of personal preference.
I would say visit as many places as you can. You will start to get a feel for what you think is good and what is not and then go from there. Also, as I am sure you are aware, get ready for sticker shock on the cost. Daycare is not cheap and if you have another child in daycare at the same time, the costs seem almost astronomical.
For what we looked at in Ankeny, most of the major centers (La Petite Academy, Tender Years, Child's View) we felt that Apple Tree had the best environment and preschool education. We used to live in Ames and went to the Bright Horizons center at Vet Med, that place was the absolute best that we have ever been to, but the Apple Tree center is pretty good to.
The only issue I would say there is, is that communication sometimes get's lost. There might be a special day, where we need to bring something for our kids and we find out about it the day before. Also, once a child enters kindergarten, Apple Tree does not do before and after school care, so if that is something you might need down the line, it is something to consider.
We choose not to do in-home daycares given that you are at the mercy of that person's schedule, if they take vacation, you have to and if they are sick, you don't have a place to take your kid(s). With a center, they are always open, all year round. But this is all a matter of personal preference.
I would say visit as many places as you can. You will start to get a feel for what you think is good and what is not and then go from there. Also, as I am sure you are aware, get ready for sticker shock on the cost. Daycare is not cheap and if you have another child in daycare at the same time, the costs seem almost astronomical.
As far as choosing in-home vs a center, do your research. There are many pros and cons to each. In home is generally cheaper, but yes, that sticker shock was something that I wasn't prepared for.
You will probably get opinions from just about everyone on which is better, but weigh the options and find the one that works best for you. There is no right or wrong answer, and you can always switch providers if you find something you don't like.
You will probably get opinions from just about everyone on which is better, but weigh the options and find the one that works best for you. There is no right or wrong answer, and you can always switch providers if you find something you don't like.
No recommendations, as I'm not sure if our lady is looking for more kids, but we just went through this in Ankeny in December. We found a really good lady (former teacher and registered nurse). Ironically, she's not registered with the state, but, given her reasons, I was okay with that. Before we found her, we had some REALLY bad interviews though. It's tough when you don't have any personal recommendations from people you know/trust.
Edit: look on Craigslist. There are a lot of options. Obviously, some are better than others, but there is a wide variety of providers.
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Child Care Resource and Referral of Central Iowa
It's a free service that can help find child care providers for you.
It's a free service that can help find child care providers for you.
We currently have 2 boys enrolled at Ankeny Christian Childcare over by John Deere, an 8 month old and a 5 year old. We like it alot, the teachers are very accessible during the day, the baby room is great, that's one thing that all the parents have mentioned.
We had our oldest child in home daycare his 1st two years and it was a major pain to plan your life around the providers life. She also was sick much too often and it really put a strain on our jobs having to call in to work alot.
The one bad thing is $$$. Our daycare costs are more than our mortgage right now, however the 5 year old starts kindergarten next fall, so that will help.
They do provide before and after daycare for school age children.
We interviewed at Childs View and liked them alot, our neighbors 5 year old goes there now and they love the place.
Goodluck!
We had our oldest child in home daycare his 1st two years and it was a major pain to plan your life around the providers life. She also was sick much too often and it really put a strain on our jobs having to call in to work alot.
The one bad thing is $$$. Our daycare costs are more than our mortgage right now, however the 5 year old starts kindergarten next fall, so that will help.
They do provide before and after daycare for school age children.
We interviewed at Childs View and liked them alot, our neighbors 5 year old goes there now and they love the place.
Goodluck!
Never thought of that until you posted this, daycare costing more then a mortgage, but that is they way it is for us too. Same boat here as well, looking forward to our oldest starting kindergarten this fall and daycare costs going down.
Daycare for my two kids is $1,988.13/month. That's more than many mortgages.
Some places are $200 a week per child. 2 kids and you are paying $1600 a month. $1600 a month buys you a nice house man
Actually, you are doing good if you can find quality care for $200 a week anywhere in the suburbs.
I have a good friend who lives in Ankeny. His wife does this from home in Ankeny. If you are interested, write back.
Best option is almost always the same: M-O-M. Paying so much for daycare so mom can work is illogical. But that argument is like pounding your head against a wall; never get through.
I live in Johnston and pay $120 a week for 4 days. So a week would only be $150. It's in home though
I've got some friends who have in-home for less than that, but you're probably not going to find a center. One place we looked at several years ago wanted $290/week for an infant.
