Clayton County Child Care Coalition launches new sustainability plan

Clayton County Child Care Coalition launches new sustainability plan, offers opportunity for community to learn more 

Child care providers are essential to our communities. They teach young children, provide healthy meals, and create safe, caring environments. They also make it possible for parents to work and support their families.

A new endowment fund created with the goal of increasing the supply of child care and growing the child care workforce in Clayton County is now accepting donations. It's part of a long-term plan to address child care needs in the county that is being implemented by a group of local leaders called the Clayton County Child Care Coalition.

In 2023, the Clayton County Foundation for the Future brought local stakeholders together to survey the community on child care to then inform a Rural Child Care Market Analysis and develop the Clayton County Strategic Plan for Child Care. In June 2025, the Clayton County Child Care Coalition formed to put the plan into action with direction from child care plan coordinator Tierney Hoefer. Representatives from local child care center boards, Family’s Helping Hand, NICC, the Clayton County Foundation for the Future, Iowa Child Care Resource & Referral, Guttenberg Municipal Hospital and Clinics, and MercyOne Elkader make up the coalition. By working together, these partners are making sure decisions reflect the needs of families, providers, employers, and communities across Clayton County.

The coalition will host a virtual lunch and learn at noon on Monday, April 27 to share data from the market study and plans and progress toward improving the child care landscape countywide for providers and families. Clayton County employers and organizations interested in learning more are invited to attend.

The coalition has three overarching goals:

1. Add at least 48 new regulated child care spaces by 2030.

2. Grow the child care workforce through training and partnerships with NICC and local    schools.

3. Increase awareness and partner with employers to find solutions.

To support providers without raising tuition for families beyond a normal market adjustment, the coalition has created a two-part funding plan that will provide for current needs while building a sustainable source of program support for the future to help increase the supply of child care and grow the child care workforce in Clayton County.“Working together with Family’s Helping Hand, the Clayton County Foundation for the Future, and the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, we strive to create an innovative and long-term solution to support both providers and families,” says Tierney Hoefer.

Short-Term Support

The Clayton County Child Care Solutions Fund, a non-endowed fund, will provide temporary support from 2026-2029 in the form of an annual grant to providers with a rating from Iowa Quality for Kids, Iowa’s system for recognizing and ensuring high-quality early childhood care and education. Grants to providers will increase wages for child care workers, support education and training, and encourage providers to participate in the IQ4K program. There are currently five IQ4K rated providers serving Clayton County, in Guttenberg, Garnavillo, McGregor, Monona, and Postville. The goal is to raise $54,000____ to cover program costs for 2026.

Nearly $30,000 has been pledged for Year 1, including support from the Iowa Women’s Foundation and the Guttenberg and Garnavillo city councils. 

Long-Term Sustainability

As the non-endowed fund grows to support short-term program expenses, the coalition is simultaneously building child care solutions endowments for each community with at least one IQ4K rated provider, along with a countywide child care solutions endowment. Gifts to the Clayton County Child Care Solutions Endowment are pooled together and invested forever, growing and paying out up to 5% of the earnings each year to be used to support child care programs with wages for staff and education and training, while incentivizing continued quality care. Foundation and coalition leaders are providing endowment-building support to each participating community to create these local pools of sustainable annual funding.

Initial funding for the countywide endowment has come from the Clayton County Foundation for the Future and the Dr. John Rathe Endowment. The countywide fund will help communities that need extra support or new communities that add licensed providers.

Once fully funded, the endowments will cover annual Child Care Solutions Fund program costs and provide steady support for wages and education without raising costs for families. “That’s what makes this initiative unique in the landscape of child care solutions funds,” says Hoefer. “After studying the needs in Clayton County and having conversations across county lines, we understand that a long-term plan – not a band-aid for today – is critical for success.”

Child Care is a Critical Need in Clayton County

Most parents surveyed as part of the 2023 market analysis said they prefer full-time, year-round care at a licensed center, but many families cannot find care. There are about 1,559 children in Clayton County whose families would likely use regulated child care. However, as of late 2023, there were only 581 spaces available during the school year and 613 in the summer.

Employers report similar problems, with many employees arriving late or missing work when child care falls through.

At the same time, many families do not qualify for Iowa Child Care Assistance, because the median household income in Clayton County, $80,392, is above the state income limits for assistance. This leaves families stuck between earning too much to qualify for help but still struggling to afford care.

Child care is not just a family issue, it is an economic issue. By investing now, Clayton County is building a strong system that supports children, families, businesses, and the future of our communities.

To learn more, join the Clayton County Child Care Coalition’s virtual lunch and learn at noon on Monday, April 27. Contact ccff@dbqfoundation.org for the meeting link. To get involved with the coalition or to make a contribution to build the Clayton County Child Care Solutions Endowment, contact Tracy at tracy.kregel@guttenberghospital.org or mail checks made out to Clayton County Child Care Solutions Endowment Fund to the Family Resource Center, PO Box 550, Guttenberg, IA 52052. Gifts can also be made online at dbqfoundation.org/ccchildcare