How many licensed daycares are in Waterloo?

There are 101 licensed child care providers in Waterloo.

What percentage of Waterloo daycares have high quality ratings?

3% of Waterloo daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 3% statewide in Iowa.

What types of childcare are available in Waterloo?

41 center-based, 60 home-based providers operate in Waterloo.

How do Waterloo daycares score on teaching quality compared to the rest of Iowa?

Waterloo daycares average 2.8 out of 5 stars on Childery's Process score (teaching quality, QRIS ratings, and accreditations), compared to a Iowa statewide average of 2.9.

Is there financial help for childcare in Iowa?

Iowa offers childcare subsidies and assistance programs for income-eligible families. See income limits, waitlist status, and how to apply.

Childery

Some of the Best Daycares in Waterloo, IA

Of Waterloo's 101 daycares, 3 (3%) hold a 4 or 5 star rating from Childery, matching Iowa's statewide rate of 3%. Locally, providers average 2.8 stars on Process inputs (state QRIS, NAEYC and other accreditation, federal Head Start CLASS scores) and 2.0 stars on Structural inputs (state regulatory baseline plus provider-level licensing data), compared with Iowa averages of 2.9 on Process and 2.0 on Structural.

The local market includes 41 centers and 60 family child care homes.

Listed alphabetically below are some of the highest-rated providers in Waterloo. Childery ranks providers using publicly auditable inputs: state QRIS scores, NAEYC-aligned ratios and group sizes, and federal CCDBG training coverage. See the Iowa methodology page for the full breakdown.

101

Daycares

4 or 5 Stars

Rating Distribution in Waterloo

0(0%)

3(3%)

1(1%)

97(96%)

0(0%)

Mean rating across all displayed daycares in Waterloo: 2.1 (Sample of 101).

Process rating across all displayed daycares in Waterloo: 2.8 (Sample of 12).

Structural rating across all displayed daycares in Waterloo: 2.0 (Sample of 101).

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Some of the Best Daycares in Waterloo

Community United Child Care Centers-Westridge

Waterloo, IA

★★★★★ 4 Stars

Hawkeye Child Development Center

Waterloo, IA

★★★★★ 4 Stars

Tri-County Head Start-Lowell

A to Z Learning Center & Day Care-Donald

Waterloo, IA

★★★★★ 2 Stars

A to Z Learning Center & Day Care-W 4th St

Waterloo, IA

★★★★★ 2 Stars

A to Z Learning Center & Day Care-Waterloo Univ.

Alisha Frazer and Blaine Frazer

Frequently Asked Questions

How many licensed daycares are in Waterloo?: There are 101 licensed child care providers in Waterloo.
What percentage of Waterloo daycares have high quality ratings?: 3% of Waterloo daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 3% statewide in Iowa.
What types of childcare are available in Waterloo?: 41 center-based, 60 home-based providers operate in Waterloo.
How do Waterloo daycares score on teaching quality compared to the rest of Iowa?: Waterloo daycares average 2.8 out of 5 stars on Childery's Process score (teaching quality, QRIS ratings, and accreditations), compared to a Iowa statewide average of 2.9.
Is there financial help for childcare in Iowa?: Iowa offers childcare subsidies and assistance programs for income-eligible families. See income limits, waitlist status, and how to apply.Childcare subsidies in Iowa