About Ames Community Preschool Center

ACPC's mission is to provide consistent, reliable, safe, and affordable childcare to Ames area children that engages each child and encourages his or her best personal growth and development. Our connection to the City of Ames is felt throughout our curricula with field trips to area businesses and organizations like the Ames Public Library and visits from valued members of the community including librarians, city planners, doctors, firefighters, engineers, and more.  We seek to connect ACPC children with the world around them and foster community engagement and curiosity for the world around them.

Ames Community Preschool Center has been serving central Iowa and Ames for over 50 years. We provide a high-quality experience for each child and family who enters our program. Over the years, we've expanded to provide a variety of social and educational experiences for infants and children ages 6 weeks through 12 years at our Main Center located at 920 Carroll Ave, and five school-age sites throughout the city of Ames.

Throughout our programming, our children learn to follow the ACPC way: Be Kind! Be Safe! Be a Problem-Solver!

Our

History

ACPC was established in 1968 as the first nonprofit child care center in Ames. A group of interested community members, including some members of the First Christian Church, worked for several years to get the project off the ground. The center started in downtown Ames at the First Christian Church with 35 children ages 3-5 years.  Since 1968, ACPC has steadily grown and added other sites as opportunities have arisen to meet the evolving needs of the Ames community.

In 2013, ACPC purchased the former Willson-Beardshear Building just east of Mary Greeley Hospital in Ames. ACPC Main Center's infant through pre-kindergarten programs are now located at 920 Carroll Avenue, nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood where the students have amble green space and easy access to many Ames resources. We have grown to provide childcare to more families while keeping classes small. With the additional of school-age programming Ames families can enjoy ACPC's methodology with continuity of care from infancy throughout elementary ages.

2024

Board of Directors

As a not-for-profit organization, ACPC relies on the input and guidance of community members and families. The Board of Directors is an unpaid volunteer group who care deeply about the Ames community, youth development, and the future of the Ames Community Preschool Center. The Board of Directors provides recommendations to the center administration on all issues from policies to business development. Our governing Board of Directors consists of a majority of parents of children enrolled in the center but is open to all interested members of the community.  The Board members serve a three-year term and are involved in all facets of center life. The Board also appoints an Executive Director to administer the center.  We encourage you to join the board and make a difference in the lives of Ames area children.

Ask about our programs! Contact us today at 515-233-2901.