Des Moines Public Schools Early Childhood

08/27/2026

We're excited to welcome preschool students back to Mitchell Early Learning Center! Classes begin on Wednesday September 2nd.
Not signed up yet? Visit www.preschool.dmschools.org for information about applying for preschool at any of our sites.

08/06/2026

Excited to have Brandi joining our Preschool Team!

Des Moines Public Schools has named Dr. Beverly Eck principal of Woodlawn Education Center and Brandi Wendt principal of Smouse Early Childhood Center for the 2026–27 school year. Together, the two leaders bring decades of experience in instructional ...

08/05/2026

✨ Ready for Preschool? ✨
We’re enrolling for 2026–2027!

DMPS offers half‑day and full‑day preschool options across multiple locations.
Universal Preschool for 4‑year‑olds and Head Start for 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds.
Children must be age‑eligible by September 15, 2026.

Apply online: preschool.dmschools.org
Call 515‑242‑7588 (español: 515‑242‑7975)

¡Inscripciones abiertas! Preescolar gratuito para familias elegibles.

Des Moines Public Schools Early Childhood Programs provide quality learning experiences to help promote growth of young children and their families. We adhere to state and national program standards to achieve our goal of Kindergarten Readiness. ...

06/19/2026

Happy Juneteenth! All DMPS schools and offices are closed today. As employees take time to observe this significant national holiday, we encourage everyone to reflect on our shared history, support Black-owned businesses, and participate in educational events.

06/06/2026

Des Moines Public Schools is once again participating in the USDA Summer Food Service Program, providing free meals to children throughout summer break. From June through mid-August 2026, meals will be available to the public at 31 school ...

06/03/2026

Our preschoolers celebrated the last week of school with our annual water day! Happy summer!

05/27/2026

This month students continued their learning about critters, exploring spiders, scorpions, and worms. Our very our Mrs. Amanda brought in some of her furry friends into classrooms for students to look at 🕷️🕸️

05/22/2026

05/21/2026

We build relationships with each other while we wait for our adults to pick us up from preschool. Sometimes this looks like pretending a banana is a phone! 🍌🍌

05/20/2026

Students engage in stop and go activities for self-regulation by learning to control their body’s responses to emotions. By adding mindful breathing to the movement activity, students are learning how to recognize and manage their emotions.