Bidwell Riverside Child Development Center

Bidwell Riverside Child Development Center is a licensed, private nonprofit child development center located on the south side of Des Moines that provides quality early childhood education and all-day care for children ages 2-5, partnering with Des Moines Public Schools to offer full-day preschool programs. The center has earned a Level 5 rating from the Iowa Quality Rating System and maintains affordable tuition to serve families with limited resources, with the organization’s origins tracing back to 1893. As of July 2023, Bidwell Riverside Center merged into Families Forward, a comprehensive organization providing child development services alongside food and clothing assistance and shelter programs for low-income individuals and families in the Des Moines area.