You’re in Des Moines for a conference at Hy-Vee Hall, a wedding reception downtown, or the Iowa State Fair. The concierge may suggest some local daycares, but they don’t take drop-ins and you need childcare fast.
Jovie sends background-checked, CPR-certified caregivers directly to your hotel room anywhere in Des Moines and surrounding areas so you can be fully present for what brought you to Iowa.
ON-SITE CARE
Des Moines draws millions of visitors each year for sporting events, major conventions, graduations, and the Iowa State Fair, one of the largest state fairs in the country with over one million visitors across eleven days every August. When families travel to Des Moines, the hotel room becomes home base, and parents often find themselves needing reliable, trustworthy childcare so they can attend events, enjoy a dinner out, or simply get through a full day of conference sessions without worrying about the kids. Jovie fills that gap by sending a screened caregiver directly to your room so your children stay comfortable in a familiar space while you’re away.
We serve families staying at hotels throughout the Des Moines metro, including the Hilton Des Moines Downtown, Des Moines Marriott Downtown, Embassy Suites Downtown, Hyatt Place Des Moines, Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel, Hotel Fort Des Moines, Residence Inn Downtown, and dozens of other properties across the city and suburbs. Whether your hotel is steps from Principal Park in downtown, near the Sheraton in West Des Moines, or out in Ankeny or Altoona near Adventureland, Jovie has caregivers positioned throughout the metro to reach you. Our hotel sitters care for children from newborn through age 12, and we can staff larger groups or multi-child families with more than one caregiver when needed.
Holiday weekends and peak event weekends may book quickly, so reaching out a few days ahead is always recommended. Same-day bookings are handled regularly when availability allows.
YOUR CHILDCARE PARTNER
Jovie is a full-service childcare staffing agency, not a freelance platform or gig-economy app. Every caregiver who works with Jovie has gone through a rigorous multi-step screening process before they are ever placed with a family. That process includes a national criminal background check, a sex offender registry check, thorough reference calls, and an in-person interview conducted by our local team. Sitters are hired as W-2 employees rather than independent contractors, which means they carry employer-level liability coverage from the moment care begins. When a Jovie caregiver walks through your hotel room door, you are not taking a chance on a stranger from an app. You are working with a vetted professional who has been screened, trained, and hired by a local childcare agency that stands behind every placement.
Beyond hotel care, Jovie serves families throughout the greater Des Moines metropolitan area, including Ankeny, West Des Moines, Urbandale, Johnston, Waukee, Clive, Grimes, Altoona, and the surrounding communities. Families who need ongoing childcare support, whether that is a full-time nanny, after-school coverage, or a reliable sitter to call when their regular caregiver is unavailable, can work with Jovie on an ongoing basis. We match families with caregivers who are a good fit for their household, their children’s ages, and their schedule, and we do everything we can to provide continuity so your kids build a relationship with someone familiar.
EVENTS & CONFERENCES
Des Moines is one of the Midwest’s most active conference and event cities. Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center is Iowa’s largest exhibit hall, with over 100,000 square feet of event space and the capacity to host conventions, trade shows, corporate gatherings, and banquets serving thousands of attendees. Casey’s Center, formerly Wells Fargo Arena, seats nearly 17,000 and hosts everything from major concerts and touring shows to high school state tournaments and professional sports. When families travel to Des Moines for these events, they often need structured childcare, and Jovie provides on-site staffing so kids are supervised and engaged in a dedicated childcare room while parents attend the event.
Jovie sets up and staffs supervised childcare rooms directly at the venue or in an adjacent hotel space. Our team arrives with supplies, activities, and games designed to keep children occupied and comfortable throughout the event, and our caregivers are experienced working with groups of kids across mixed age ranges. Event planners and conference coordinators book Jovie for three primary reasons: every caregiver is background-checked and verified before the event, we supply our own materials and programming so you don’t have to source anything separately, and we staff to match your specific event hours, whether that means a two-hour reception or a three-day conference. Wedding receptions, corporate dinners, graduation celebrations, and private events of all kinds are well within our scope.
FLEXIBLE STAFFING
Childcare needs do not always fit neatly into a scheduled package. Jovie offers flexible staffing solutions for fitness centers, country clubs, church nurseries, youth sports organizations, and any organization that needs qualified caregivers on a recurring or seasonal basis. If your gym needs a reliable childcare staff member for the morning rush and weekend classes, or your church nursery needs a substitute when a regular volunteer is out, Jovie can provide a vetted, experienced caregiver on short notice. Our staffing extends across the Des Moines metro, including Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, Waukee, and Ankeny.
Summer is one of the busiest times of year for Des Moines families, with school out and parents still working full schedules. Jovie places summer nannies who can provide consistent, full-day coverage during the months when regular childcare options are disrupted. Emergency backup care is also available for families whose regular provider calls in sick or whose childcare center is unexpectedly closed. Traveling sports teams attending state tournaments at venues across Des Moines, including the Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament at Casey’s Center, can also arrange group care through Jovie so chaperones and coaching staff can focus on the event.
WHERE WE WORK
Jovie caregivers serve hotels, homes, and event venues throughout Des Moines and the surrounding communities.
Hotels near the Iowa Events Center, Casey’s Center, Principal Park, the Science Center of Iowa, and the downtown Skywalk corridor.
The Sheraton West Des Moines, Courtyard by Marriott at Jordan Creek, Residence Inn, and hotels along the Jordan Creek Parkway and I-235 corridors.
Hotels along I-35 in Ankeny, including the Courtyard by Marriott Des Moines Ankeny, and communities throughout northern Polk County including Johnston and Grimes.
Hotels near Adventureland, the Adventureland Resort, and communities along I-80 east of Des Moines including Pleasant Hill and Bondurant.
Hotels and event venues along Douglas Avenue, Meredith Drive, and the northwest corridor between Urbandale, Clive, and Johnston.
We also serve Waukee, Ames, Newton, Norwalk, and the broader Polk and Dallas County area for hotel and event bookings.
WHY FAMILIES CHOOSE US
Booking a babysitter for your hotel room while traveling is one of the highest-trust decisions a parent makes. Jovie takes that responsibility seriously, and our hiring and screening process reflects it. Every caregiver goes through a national background check, verified reference calls with previous families, and a direct in-person interview with our local team. No one joins the Jovie roster without clearing every step of that process.
Jovie is based locally and serves families throughout the Des Moines metro from our local office. Whether you are a Des Moines family looking for ongoing childcare support or a visitor who found out about us through your hotel concierge, the experience is the same: a screened, professional caregiver who shows up prepared and gives your kids a great afternoon while you take care of what you came here to do.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Real answers to the questions Edmond families and hotel guests ask most.
For most hotel babysitting requests, a few days ahead is ideal and gives us the best chance of matching you with a great caregiver. Des Moines has a number of high-traffic weekends throughout the year when demand spikes quickly, including the Iowa State Fair in August, the Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament in February, Drake Relays in late April, Iowa Cubs playoff runs, and major concert or touring show weekends at Casey’s Center. If your trip falls on or near one of those events, booking as early as possible is strongly recommended. That said, Jovie handles same-day requests regularly when availability allows, so if your plans changed last minute, call or book online and we will do our best to get someone to you.
Call us or book online now and we’ll match you with a screened caregiver for your stay.
