Innovative, collaborative initiatives in Dubuque County are expanding child care access and removing barriers to workforce participation.
Addressing a Critical Workforce Challenge
Greater Dubuque Development Corporation conducts over 250 executive interviews annually to assess regional workforce needs. A recurring theme? Child care availability and affordability are major barriers to workforce participation.
2024 Expansions to Dubuque County's Child Care Capacity
A 2022 Child Care Analysis commissioned by Greater Dubuque Development confirmed that inadequate child care capacity was limiting workforce participation, with long wait lists, high costs, and a lack of care for infants. Recognizing that child care is a quality of life and workforce issue, Greater Dubuque Development and its partners took action to increase child care capacity throughout Dubuque County.
Bright Minds Campus: Phase I
Greater Dubuque Development and Dubuque Initiatives launched the Business Champions for Child Care in December 2023, securing $560,000 in additional state funding and leveraging $819,000 in local investment. Fourteen of the region’s top employers stepped up to launch this multi-year fund to invest in Dubuque County's child care ecosystem, supporting workforce stability and economic growth.
18
Child care centers assisted in 2024, covering 60% of the Dubuque County’s child care capacity
$829K
Direct investment in child care centers across Dubuque County to support workforce creation and retention in 2024
223
New child care slots created in 2024
77
Newly trained and hired child care professionals in 2024
Building Momentum in 2025
Additional state funding paired with multi-year employer pledges continue to add new child care slots and fuel opportunities that train and attract new child care professionals, laying the foundation for sustainable solutions across Dubuque County.
Bright Minds Campus: Phase II
Business Champions for Child Care: Future Growth
As we move into year two, the Business Champions for Child Care program has aligned operations to focus on child care workforce attraction to increase child care capacity. By focusing investments in attraction activities, we will recruit more qualified professionals into the field, expand the number of children served, and ensure sustainable growth in our community’s child care infrastructure.
20
Child care centers in Dubuque County assisted with 2025 grant funding
$214K
Direct investment in child care centers across Dubuque County in 2025, supporting workforce attraction
412
Estimated new child care slots to be created by the end of 2025
184
Estimated new child care professionals to be trained and hired by end of 2025
Program Results as of December 2025
In 2025, the Dubuque County Child Care Solutions Fund, as it is now known, transitioned to the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, which has a long history of building relationships and mobilizing resources to address complex community challenges.
To support transparency and share outcomes from this work, the Community Foundation released its 2025 Dubuque County Child Care Solutions Fund Impact Report at the close out of the year, outlining investments, outcomes, and measurable workforce impacts to date.
Looking ahead, the 2026 program focus will continue to support attraction, retention, and development of the child care workforce, with a stronger emphasis on sustaining availability while continuing to improve quality of care. Continued private investment from regional employers is crucial to grow and sustain this effort.
By becoming a Business Champion for Child Care today with your multi-year pledge, we can continue to bolster child care capacity throughout Dubuque County for years to come. Contact Mary Jo Jean-Francois, Vice President of Impact with the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque at maryjoj@dbqfoundation.org or 563-588-2700.
47%
Reduction in child care slot gaps since 2022
73%
Child care demand met with Dubuque now leading all Iowa metro counties. Source: Iowa Child Care Connect.
$2.18
Average hourly wage increase for child care professionals since 2024
$915K
Direct investment in child care centers across Dubuque County since 2024
By supporting child care expansion, employers ensure their workforce has the stability needed to thrive.
To become a Business Champion for Child Care, contact Mary Jo Jean-Francois, Vice President of Impact with the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque at maryjoj@dbqfoundation.org or 563-588-2700.
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