Sign Up for 2017-2018 Preschool!

An early childhood education at Des Moines Public Schools provides a great start to learning, promoting the academic and social growth of young children. We offer several free preschool options to meet the needs of families, with a variety of locations, class times and half- or full-day classes. Click on the image for more information.

DMPS Offers Children Free Summer Meals 5/4/2017 Des Moines Public Schools will offer free summer meals to children under the age of 18 as early as June 5. The meals are served at 31 locations throughout the community, with 26 of those locations also offering breakfast. This USDA funded program has been enormously successful, helping … Read more »

At Des Moines Public Schools, we are always looking at how we can do more to support our students, and help everyone succeed. An idea currently being considered is a change in the bell times – or school hours – that we have. The plan would flip the current hours, so elementary students begin the … Read more »

Calling all parents! Remember, you are invited to Parent and Child Together Time (PACT time) once a week in your child’s classroom. Check with your child’s teacher to find out the day and time of PACT time for his or her classroom. Parent and Child Together time is a weekly chance to join your child for some fun one-on-one learning activities. … Read more »

Coffee and Connections– drop in for a cup of coffee and a treat! Once a month, each of our four Early Childhood buildings is hosting a get-together for parents. Parents of preschoolers are invited to stop by for a chance to connect with other parents, connect with the school, and connect with community resources. We will … Read more »

Des Moines Public Schools has 19 Head Start classrooms; during the first few days of school the parents in each of these classrooms elect representatives to serve on Head Start Policy Committee. Since its start in 1965, Head Start has recognized the value of including parents as full partners in making decisions that concern them, … Read more »

The DMPS Community Legislative Action Team is made up of parents and other community members who recognize the need for greater awareness of how legislative actions affect our schools, and advocate for policies that increase student success. To be successful, this group needs one thing: YOU. It’s important that the voices of parents, grandparents, community … Read more »

All four Early Childhood buildings hosted Family Events during the fall. Families at the Jesse Franklin Taylor building enjoyed a pumpkin walk, mask painting, face painting and fun learning activities. At Woodlawn Learning Center the theme was “Camp Woodlawn”; students and their families sang “Going on a Bear Hunt” and had a visit from a Polk County Conservation … Read more »

Thursday morning marked the beginning of a long, exciting adventure for more than 1,700 DMPS preschoolers at four primary centers and eleven satellite school sites. A mix of excitement, and a few tears, kicked off the morning as parents took pictures and said their goodbyes whiles students navigated news lockers and classrooms. Click the photo to read more about preschool at DMPS and enjoy photos of a big day for hundreds of young students.

Welcome to preschool! Registration day is Tuesday August 23rd from 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. at your assigned building. Please bring your child’s physical and dental forms, immunization records, and emergency contact information to registration. DMPS preschool classes begin on Thursday September 8th.