There’s much ado about keeping  our young people in Des Moines.  Though well-intentioned groups  brainstorming youth-retention ideas are  doing a great job, they’re not thinking  young enough.

I understand the temptation  to target the single young  professional, as “hip-ifying” the  city is a popular suggestion for  getting Iowans to stick around.  But there’s an even younger  demographic that needs our  focus – toddlers.

That’s right. The anklebiters  of our community (and  by extension, their parents)  are being overlooked. It’s easy  to ignore them. After all, most  young families become shutins  almost immediately following  their return from the maternity  ward. It only gets worse as babies  become toddlers with their own willful  ideas about how to spend a weekend.

It’s hard to fall in love with something  in which you don’t participate. If  our young families are spending the  majority of their time at home, afraid to  venture out in unwelcoming territory,  they’re missing out on all that Des  Moines has to offer.

By engaging 2-, 3- and 4-year olds in  our city,we’ll not only give them a great  introduction to their hometown, but  we’ll also instill a sense of permanent  community that will intrinsically influence  the decisions they make as they  grow and decide where to exercise  their passions, contribute their  talents and raise their families.

Consider the parents of  these pee-wee Iowans. Fresh  out of college or hot into their  blossoming careers, young parents  have just been slapped in  the face with one of life’s  biggest lessons: It’s not about  you anymore.

The big ideas and high reaching  dreams they had  before the kids still exist;  they’ve just gotten shoved into  the back corners of their  multi-tasking minds, behind feeding  schedules and potty-training schemes.

Des Moines needs to tap into that  resource if we’re to continue attracting  and retaining high quality residents.

It’s time for our community to begin  thinking creatively about how our  babies, toddlers and kids can be welcome  restaurant patrons, congregation  members and theatergoers.

Planning special events for working  parents is another area that needs some  imaginative contemplation. Places like  the Blank Park Zoo, the Des Moines  Public Library and the Science Center  of Iowa have terrific programs for kids,  but if their parents are working, the tots  end up attending them with the nanny,  not Mom and Dad.

We can do this by inviting parents  into our brainstorming sessions when  planning special events; by providing a  forum in which parents can share their  tips and ideas with one another; by welcoming  families (strollers, diaper bags,  tantrums and all) to our establishments  with open arms.

Not every event, activity or organization  in Des Moines has the potential to  join in this initiative. After all, we  grown-ups need our own playgrounds  and kid-free time to maintain our sanity.

But if you’re a Des Moines leader,  event planner or business owner who  believes your organization can improve  the way it accommodates little ones and  their parents, I encourage you to get  started right away.You have the opportunity  to improve Des Moines by  endearing its most precious resource to  our city.

— Kelly Moore is a Des Moines mother  who works as a public relations consultant  and writer