Daycare (Child Development Center)

Main Campus Location

Our Mission at the Hawkeye Child Development Center is to support children and their families by offering quality education and a safe, caring environment. We want every child and family to feel welcome, comfortable, and ready to learn and succeed.

The Hawkeye Child Development Center cares for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. It is open to Hawkeye students, faculty, staff, and the public. Our staff uses teaching practices that are right for each age group, helping children grow in ways that match their development.

Children here enjoy positive interactions with others and engage in activities like play, exploration, and learning. These activities, both alone and in groups, encourage social, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth. They also help children develop self-direction, independence, and self-control.

The Hawkeye Child Development Center follows rules set by the Iowa Department of Human Services, Health Department, and Waterloo Fire Department. We are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and participate in Iowa Quality for Kids (IQ4K).

Learn more in our Operational Guidelines [PDF]

Enrollment Fees

Rates are per child, per day.

Child Care Assistance Programs

We have several options to help those that qualify pay the cost of child care including:

• Iowa Health & Human Services / PROMISE JOBS Child Care Assistance funding

• Early Head Start funding

• Head Start funding

• CCAMPIS grant funding: Hawkeye has been awarded a U.S. Department of Education Child Care Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS) Grant. This grant provides funding for child care services for parents to help them in retention and graduation at Hawkeye. You must be Pell Grant eligible to be considered for CCAMPIS Grant funds.

Childcare Disparity Scholarships and CCAMPIS grant funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Both programs provide funding for childcare while you are:

• In class
• Studying
• Using a Hawkeye computer lab
• Tutoring
• Using services in the Center for Learning and Academic Success
• Using Hawkeye's advising or counseling services
• Working on a class project
• Using the Library
• Visiting Student Health Services
• Emergency care

Hawkeye's Preschool room is also supported by the Iowa Department of Education grant funding through its Shared Visions Preschool Program.

Thank You to Our Funding Partner

Meet the Director

Penny Teisinger has been the Child Care Coordinator/Director at the Hawkeye Child Development Center since 1999 and has experience working with all ages cared for in each of the classrooms at Hawkeye's Child Development Center. She has been working at Hawkeye Community College since August 1995 and has taught as an adjunct instructor in the Early Childhood Education program. Penny is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa with her BA degree in Elementary/Early Childhood Education.

Penny welcomes you to Hawkeye's Child Development Center and can’t wait to observe your child grow! Her office door may be closed, but it is always open to you and your child! Please stop by or contact Penny if you have any questions or concerns.