lily pad learning center

Name

lily pad learning center

Legal name

Lily Pad Learning Center

Website

https://lilypadlearningcenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare and Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Infant & Toddler Classrooms within Childcare Centers (EDACAGAC), Center-Based Infant Care (0–18 months) (EDACAGAA), General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Childcare services
• Preschool programs
• Infant toddler care
• Before after school care

Headquarters

HQ city

Huxley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Childcare Tuition: Parents pay tuition for childcare and preschool services across infant, toddler, two-year-old, three-year-old, four-year-old programs, and before/after school care. Revenue is recurring on a periodic basis aligned with the academic calendar or enrollment agreements.
2. Preschool Program Fees: Revenue from half-day community preschool programs for four-year-old children. Some programs such as the Ballard District 4-year-old preschool are offered free of charge, potentially subsidized or funded through school district partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

LilyPad Learning Center provides licensed childcare and early childhood education programs for children from birth through age 12, delivered across three physical centers in Huxley and Ames, Iowa. The core offering comprises age-tiered programs — Infant, Toddler, Two-Year-Old, Three-Year-Old, Four-Year-Old (Dragonflies), Preschool (4-Year-Old), Before/After School (Wise Guys), and Summer (Wise Guys) — built on Creative Curriculum frameworks, Second Step, Handwriting Without Tears, and the S.M.A.R.T. movement-based curriculum. Families enroll via a waiting list, pay recurring tuition, and receive full-day supervised care, developmentally appropriate education, and kindergarten readiness preparation.

Product overview

LilyPad Learning Center is a multi-location early childhood education and childcare center serving children from birth through age 12. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of age-specific programs including Infant, Toddler, Two Year Old, Three Year Old, Four Year Old (Dragonflies), and Preschool programs, as well as Before and After School (Wise Guys) and Summer (Wise Guys) programs for school-age children up to 5th grade. The center utilizes Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers and Twos and Creative Curriculum for Preschool as its core curriculum frameworks, supplemented by Second Step (social-emotional/behavioral curriculum), Handwriting Without Tears (school readiness), and the S.M.A.R.T. movement-based curriculum. Programs are offered at multiple locations in Iowa (Huxley 1st Street, Huxley Main Street, Huxley Hanger, and Ames Research Park).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infant Program A nurturing childcare program for infants with individualized care based on each child's unique patterns for eating, sleeping, and playing. Daily activity records are provided to parents. Serves families with infants in the Story County, Iowa area.
• Toddler Program Program for toddlers with two classrooms serving younger toddlers (crawling/walking) and older mobile toddlers. Features daily activity charts and goals for development across four areas. For families with toddlers in the Story County area.
• Two Year Old Program Two distinct two-year-old classrooms accommodating different developmental levels, with four main goals and 21 objectives covering self-awareness, movement, world exploration, and communication. For families with two-year-old children.
• Three Year Old Program Two preschool classrooms using Creative Curriculum for Preschool, focusing on social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development through hands-on activities. For families with three-year-old children.
• Four Year Old Program (Dragonflies) Full-day program for four-year-olds (Dragonflies) working alongside the preschool program, focusing on social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development through hands-on activities. For families with four-year-old children seeking full-day care.
• Preschool (4 Year Old) Half-day community preschool program for children who turn four by September 15. Curriculum is organized into theme-based units addressing social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development through 10 goals and 50 objectives. For families seeking kindergarten readiness.
• Before and After School Program (Wise Guys) Before and after school care for children in grades K-5, providing a safe, supervised environment with club activities and structured free-choice activities. Bridges the gap between school hours and parent work hours.
• Summer Program (Wise Guys) School-age summer program for children entering 1st grade through those completing 5th grade. Features pool visits, library trips, club activities, and field trips around the Des Moines metropolitan area.
• Ballard District 4 Year Old Preschool Free, school-district-funded preschool program for four-year-old students in the Ballard Community School District. Runs Monday-Thursday 8:30-11:30 with transportation provided. Contact: Sara or Jocelyn at 515-597-5437.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children prepared for kindergarten with skills in social/emotional development, physical coordination, cognitive abilities, and language development
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New Horizon Academy: Mid-size, multi-location private childcare and preschool chain serving infants through school-age children, comparable to LilyPad as a privately held, multi-site regional operator with proprietary curriculum and parent communication platforms.
• Primrose Schools: National franchise of accredited early childhood education centers offering infant care through private kindergarten and after-school programs; comparable to LilyPad in program scope and tuition-based model, with a stronger franchise backbone.
• The Learning Experience: Large franchise of childcare centers offering infant, toddler, preschool, and pre-kindergarten programs with proprietary curriculum; directly comparable as a tuition-based early education operator serving similar age ranges as LilyPad.
• Goddard School: Franchise system of year-round early childhood education centers for infants through pre-kindergarten, using a proprietary play-based curriculum; comparable to LilyPad's multi-age program structure and tuition model.
• Children of America: Privately held regional chain of childcare and early education centers offering infant through school-age programs; comparable to LilyPad as a non-franchise, multi-site operator with similar age coverage.
• La Petite Academy: Childcare and preschool chain (part of Learning Care Group) offering infant care through private kindergarten and after-school programs; comparable to LilyPad in age coverage and curriculum-based preschool offerings.
• Cadence Education: Large privately held operator of early childhood education centers across multiple states; comparable to LilyPad as a multi-site, tuition-based childcare operator with infant-through-pre-K programs.

Broad incumbents

• KinderCare Learning Centers: Largest US private provider of early childhood education and school-age programs, with thousands of centers nationwide. Comparable to LilyPad at the program-category level but operating at vastly greater scale and with national employer partnerships.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Publicly held provider of employer-sponsored childcare, early education, and backup care; operates at much larger scale than LilyPad and skews toward corporate-sponsored centers but competes in the same broad market.

Regional players

• Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center: Regional non-profit and for-profit early childhood development providers in the Midwest serving infants through pre-K with curriculum-aligned programs; thematically comparable as a community-anchored early childhood operator rather than a direct geographic competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 lily pad learning center