Step Ahead Childcare and Preschool

What Step Ahead Childcare and Preschool does

Step Ahead Childcare and Preschool is a family-owned early childhood education center operating a single facility at 2635 Berkshire Pkwy, Suite 200, Clive, Iowa, serving families in the Des Moines metro area. Founded in 2016, the company provides childcare and preschool services for children from 6 weeks to 5 years old, structured as five age-based developmental programs: Freshman (6 weeks-12 months), Sophomores (12-24 months), Juniors (2-3 years), Seniors (3-4 years), and Preschool (4-5 years). The center employs 15 staff and positions itself as a non-corporate, home-like alternative to large chain providers, with a play-based curriculum aligned to Iowa Early Learning Standards and a focus on kindergarten readiness.

The business operates on a recurring weekly tuition model, with tiered pricing of $300-$375 per week based on the child's age and a $10/week discount for each additional sibling enrolled. A $75/day part-time rate is available when space permits. Customer acquisition is direct-to-consumer through the company website, online tour booking, Instagram activity, and a monthly email newsletter, with a protected legal entity structure (Step Ahead Childcare and Preschool, LLC) and no external investors, parent company, or funding events disclosed. The center uses Brightwheel, a third-party childcare management platform, for parent communication, daily updates, and billing. There is no proprietary technology, no AI or ML capabilities, and no documented geographic expansion beyond the single Clive location.

Name

Step Ahead Childcare and Preschool

Legal name

Step Ahead Childcare and Preschool, LLC

Website

https://stepaheadchildcare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Step Ahead Childcare and Preschool is a family-owned childcare and preschool center in Clive, Iowa, serving children from 6 weeks to 5 years old through five age-based programs with weekly tuition, founded in 2016.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare and Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Infant & Toddler Classrooms within Childcare Centers (EDACAGAC), Part-Day Childcare Centers (EDACAAAB)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Infant childcare services
• Preschool education programs
• Childcare tuition services
• Kindergarten readiness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Clive

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Weekly Childcare Tuition: Recurring weekly tuition payments based on child's age. Tiered pricing structure with discounts for siblings. Part-time daily rates available when space permits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Step Ahead Childcare and Preschool is a family-owned early childhood education center that provides full-day childcare and preschool programs for children ages 6 weeks through 5 years. The center operates five age-tiered programs (Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Preschool) delivered at a single Clive, Iowa facility, with a play-based curriculum aligned to Iowa Early Learning Standards. Families enroll through an inquiry and tour process and pay recurring weekly tuition.

Product overview

Step Ahead Childcare and Preschool is a family-owned childcare center offering five age-based programs: Freshman (6 weeks-12 months), Sophomores (12-24 months), Juniors (2-3 years), Seniors (3-4 years), and Preschool (4-5 years). These programs form a continuous developmental pathway from infant care through kindergarten preparation. The center also provides parent resources including a handbook, yearly calendar, and monthly newsletter to support family engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Freshman Program Childcare program for infants aged 6 weeks to 12 months, featuring gentle care, tummy time, sensory play, and cuddles to support early development. Priced at $375 per week.
• Sophomores Program Toddler program for children aged 12 to 24 months, focusing on hands-on learning, early social skills, walking, talking, and active play. Priced at $330 per week.
• Juniors Program Early childhood program for children aged 2 to 3 years, emphasizing potty training, sharing skills, play-based curriculum, and building confidence and communication. Priced at $315 per week.
• Seniors Program Pre-K readiness program for children aged 3 to 4 years, with emphasis on pre-K readiness, hands-on discovery, social-emotional growth, letters, numbers, and critical thinking. Priced at $300 per week.
• Preschool Program Kindergarten preparation program for children aged 4 to 5 years, covering early literacy, math, problem-solving, and critical thinking to ensure readiness for kindergarten. Priced at $300 per week.
• Part-Time Childcare Part-time childcare option offered at $75 per day when space permits, for families that do not need full-time weekly enrollment. Availability is not guaranteed.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BrightwheelcoreTechnology or IntegrationBrightwheel is a childcare management platform used by Step Ahead for parent communication, enrollment management, daily updates, and billing. Parents access the service through a dedicated login portal.
• Iowa CCR&R (Iowa Child Care Resource & Referral)minorOthersIowa CCR&R is a resource organization for childcare providers and families in Iowa. Step Ahead provides a link to this resource on their parent resources page.
• Iowa Early Learning StandardsminorOthersIowa's official early learning standards body. Step Ahead aligns their curriculum with Iowa Early Learning Standards and provides a link to this resource.
• Healthy Children (American Academy of Pediatrics)minorOthersResource organization providing child health information backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Step Ahead links to this resource for parent education.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Lightbridge Academy: Franchised childcare provider with infant, toddler, preschool, and before/after-school programs. Comparable subscription tuition model, parent-communication technology stack, and family-centered brand positioning to Step Ahead.
• Discovery Point: Franchised childcare provider with infant, toddler, preschool, and before/after-school care programs. Closely mirrors Step Ahead's age-tiered structure, play-based curriculum emphasis, and weekly tuition subscription model.
• Primrose Schools: Franchised early childhood education provider offering infant through private kindergarten programs with a Balanced Learning curriculum. Closely comparable age-tiered structure and kindergarten-readiness positioning to Step Ahead, with similar tuition-based recurring revenue.
• The Goddard School: Franchised preschool system offering infant through pre-K programs with a play-based, STEAM-enriched curriculum. Same age-band coverage (6 weeks to 6 years) and similar family-facing brand and tuition model as Step Ahead.

Broad incumbents

• Cadence Education: Large U.S. operator of early childhood education centers offering infant care through preschool. Comparable program tiers and tuition model, but operates over 200+ private and corporate-affiliated centers nationally.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Public, large-scale provider of employer-sponsored childcare and early education. Overlaps with Step Ahead on infant/preschool programming and tuition-based model but operates across national employer partnerships rather than a single community site.
• Learning Care Group: Operates multiple childcare brands (Childtime, Tutor Time, La Petite Academy) offering full-day care and preschool for ages 6 weeks to 12 years. Comparable age-tiered curriculum structure to Step Ahead, but corporate scale across hundreds of centers.
• KinderCare Learning Centers: Largest U.S. corporate provider of early childhood education and before/after-school care. Directly comparable infant-through-preschool offering, but at corporate scale and footprint far exceeding Step Ahead's single Clive, Iowa location.

Emerging players

• Guidepost Montessori: Growing network of Montessori early childhood education centers for infants through elementary. Adjacent comparable to Step Ahead on age range and family-facing tuition model, differentiated by Montessori methodology rather than play-based curriculum.

Regional players

• YWCA of Greater Des Moines: Regional nonprofit provider of childcare and early learning programs in the Des Moines metro. Direct local competitor to Step Ahead for working families in the same Clive/Des Moines geography, with similar infant-through-preschool programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/stepaheadchildcare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/step-ahead-childcare-and-preschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Step Ahead Childcare and Preschool