The Grimes Brief
We ran the Iowa HHS Child Care Provider Search for licensed centers in Grimes on October 28, 2026. It returned 10. Seven are early-childhood centers. Ages served vary, so ask each one. The other three are school-age programs, covered in the next section.
Most of these sit along Gateway Drive, North James Street, and Grimes Boulevard. One change from older lists, ours included: the state now licenses Little Endeavor Grimes at 441 SE Gateway Dr, the address once listed for First Steps Child Care Center. We list centers for reference only. We don't rank or rate them.
Each Dallas Center-Grimes elementary has its own before- and after-school program. These are the contacts the district posts:
Plan around DCG's 1 p.m. early dismissal every Wednesday and the no-school days on the district calendar. Ask each program how it covers those. If you live in the slice of northeast Grimes that's in the Johnston district, your school-age options run through Johnston schools instead.
Yes. DCG Preschool serves 3- and 4-year-olds at 500 NE Beaverbrooke Blvd. Call (515) 300-9627. Registration for the next school year runs February 1 to 15. If more 3-year-olds sign up in that window than there are seats, spots go by random selection, and later sign-ups go on a waitlist. Four-year-olds who register in the window are typically placed. No school supplies are required for preschool.
For kids who turn 5 by September 15 but need another year, DCG's transitional kindergarten went full day for 2026-27 at North Ridge Elementary. It runs 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., or to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, with a shuttle from your neighborhood elementary. See our back-to-school guide for registration steps.
Use the state tools. The same Iowa HHS search lists 12 registered child development homes with Grimes addresses (state categories A, B, and C). Filter by provider type, then open each listing for license details. To find actual openings, Iowa's Child Care Search at childcareconnect.iowa.gov shows providers with vacancies along your commute and filters by your kids' ages. Iowa Child Care Resource and Referral also gives free referrals at 1-855-244-5301.
The Iowa HHS provider search lists 10 licensed centers in Grimes. Seven serve young children: Everbrook Academy (100 NE 18th St), Grimes KinderCare (1101 NE Gateway Dr), Hope Grimes Preschool (1335 NE Beaverbrooke Blvd), Little Endeavor Grimes (441 SE Gateway Dr), The Voyage Early Learning Journey (1101 SE Gateway Dr), and Yellow Brick Road ECDC North (1901 N James St) and South (2860 SE Grimes Blvd). The other three are school-age programs at DCG elementaries.
Yes. DCG Preschool serves 3- and 4-year-olds at 500 NE Beaverbrooke Blvd in Grimes, (515) 300-9627. Registration for the following school year runs February 1 to 15, and 3-year-old spots are filled by random selection when demand exceeds openings.
Yes. Each DCG elementary has a program: Kid Station at Heritage (515-314-8534), NR School Age Daycare at North Ridge (515-210-7978), SP Before and After at South Prairie (515-986-3068), and Kids Campus at Dallas Center Elementary (515-992-4942).
Use Iowa's Child Care Search at childcareconnect.iowa.gov to see providers with vacancies, or call Iowa Child Care Resource and Referral at 1-855-244-5301 for free referrals. Waitlists are common in Grimes, so contact several providers early.
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