Caring is at the heart of Little Leaps Learning Academy. 

In the spring of 2016, Jake and Paula Rios started Little Leaps Learning Academy when they saw a need for more affordable yet quality childcare in the Tri-States. Before Little Leaps Learning Academy opened, Jake and Paula ran an in-home childcare named Rios’ Rugrats for 11 years. They watched children flourish and wanted to bring that same “in-home” feel to a center because they believe every child should have access to the same high level of care regardless of their background. Today, Jake Rios serves as the current President, while Paula serves as CEO.

Little Leaps Learning Academy has two convenient locations: our Downtown Locust Center and Key West Center.
At both of our centers, you will find:

  • A secure facility and green space

  • A complete curriculum of learning from birth to school age

  • Procare Connect for communicating with parents/guardians

  • Partnerships with organizations like Good Neighbor Iowa to eliminate the use of pesticides on the Little Leaps Learning Academy campus.

  • Access to main transportation routes coming in and out of Dubuque.

  • Friendly and educated staff

As we move into the future, we hope to continue to grow and seek opportunities for improvement in our centers to fulfill our mission to inspire and nurture every child, one family, one event, one community, and one world at a time.