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Legislative Update: Child Care Licensing Bills in the Works
Join us at noon this Thursday, Feb. 13, for our weekly legislative update call to learn more about two draft bills related to child care licensing rules and regulations:
- SB 285: Generally revise child care administrative rules: revises child care center rules and regulations
- SB 269: Generally revise laws regarding family and group day-care homes: revises rules and regulations for in-home child care providers.
If you are not already registered for our calls but would like to join, please register HERE.
Other legislative resources:
Zero to Five Montana Helps Kickoff ZERO TO THREE Family Advocacy Community of Practice
Zero to Five Montana was honored to participate in the launch of ZERO TO THREE's Family Advocacy Community of Practice last month. The initiative's theme is " From Transactional to Transformational: Building Authentic Relationships with Families."
Recognizing the commitment the Zero to Five Montana staff has displayed in advancing their work with families, ZERO TO THREE invited team members to share their work with other state advocates at a convening in Savannah, GA.
Workforce Business Consultant Beth Branam, Executive Director Caitlin Jensen, Policy & Engagement Director Alex Dubois and Early Childhood Tribal Policy Coordinator Callie Parr shared how they have meaningfully engaged communities and families in conversations about systems improvement and public policy advocacy.
“It is obvious that the organizational culture of Zero to Five Montana is foundational to the success they have achieved in building relationships and actively listening to and lifting up the needs of families in the state. The recent launch of the Montana Early Childhood Tribal Coalition speaks to the staff’s dedication to ensuring that all families are accurately represented in the work that they do,” said Katrina Coburn, ZERO TO THREE senior state policy manager.
Callie and Beth will continue to participate as members of the community of practice.
Have A Heart For Kids Advocacy Day in the Books!
Zero to Five Montana extends a huge and sincere THANK YOU to everyone who helped make our Have A Heart for Kids 2025 events a success! Our staff enjoyed networking with parents, early childhood partners, and legislators, and advocating for the importance of early care and education in Montana.
We couldn't have done it without the determination of family advocates who braved Montana's cold and snow to travel to Helena and have conversations with elected leaders about early childhood issues in our state.
We are so grateful for everyone who
attended this year’s Have A Heart For Kids advocacy events and for working to drive meaningful change to support Montana families and businesses! Together, we are building a stronger future for our children and our state.
Federal Call to Action - Tell Congress to Protect and Update the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC)
Congress is currently considering different tax policies as they work on upcoming legislation, including proposals that would eliminate the CDCTC, a family care credit that helps parents keep more of what they earn to pay for child care. This is a critical moment for child care advocates to make clear that families need support to afford child care.
Leaders Revitalizing Recruitment & Retention Cohort
Last Day to Apply - Feb. 14
Empower your child care program with MCCBC’s Recruitment and Retention initiative!
Join forces with us under the guidance of our Workforce Business Consultant, Beth Branam. This is your chance to be part of an exclusive cohort aimed at revolutionizing recruitment and retention strategies in Montana’s child care sector.
Limited to 28-30 programs, we offer a focused and collaborative journey towards sustainability and success. We will provide technical assistance and resources to cohorts of providers to create, implement, and support sustainable practices specific to workforce recruitment and retention. Participants will receive ECP credit for cohort sessions.
The last day to apply is this Friday - Feb. 14!
Community Capacity Building Cohort Applications Open!
Zero to Five Montana is excited to announce the third Community Child Care Capacity Building Cohort opportunity to support communities in Montana in growing their community’s child care landscape! The last day to apply is Feb. 28 at 5 p.m.
This cohort will help communities design and implement a child care action plan informed by local needs to increase awareness and drive action towards community-driven, data-informed solutions.
We are seeking to partner with community-based teams (with a minimum of three cross-sector partners) passionate about the betterment of their community and ready to be the catalyst for change for young families and children. Zero to Five Montana staff will provide guidance and support to help participants achieve their goals using a collaborative, community-centered, cohort model.
Employer-Sponsored Child Care Grant Program
Deadline Extended to Feb. 17
Zero to Five Montana, in partnership with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Bright Futures Birth to Five program, is offering a one-time grant opportunity for Montana employers through the Family Forward Montana initiative to develop an employer-sponsored child care program. The goal of the program is to implement a child care strategy reflective of the goals of the employer that is sustainable and creates cost sharing between the employee, employer, and the State of Montana.
Grants will range from $10,000 to $100,000 depending on the size and scope of the employer’s project plan. Grant funding will total $2 million to be awarded in two cohorts. Data collected from this pilot will help inform future public private partnerships.
This initiative aims to:
Build awareness of Montana’s growing child care needs and the critical role employers play in helping to address it.
Educate employers and community organizations on employer-supported child care models, including those that apply to individual employers, groups of employers and/or nonprofit community-based organizations acting on behalf of a group of employers.
Create and advance locally driven solutions that increase child care access and support working Montana families.
Interested employers can apply at familyforwardmt.org by Feb. 17.
Shared Services Updates
TELEHEALTH
AllyHealth Telehealth services are now available!
Please visit the Shared Services web page for more information and registration.
CHILD CARE SUBSTITUTE SOLUTIONS
Coming soon!
EDUCATION & EVENTS
Tiny Trainings
Find recordings of our Tiny Training webinars on the MCCBC YouTube channel, or visit childcarebusinessconnect.com.
MCCBC is offering courses through www.ChildCareTraining.org!
We’ve partnered with ChildCareTraining.org to offer free courses with ECP credits. Click below to enroll!
(Be sure to go to Montana Courses then “Other Free or Reduced-Fee Courses” from the CCT Course Catalog to find the Zero to Five Montana courses!)
PARTNER EVENTS
UM Early Childhood Summit:
Call for Spotlight Posters and Awards
Registration is open for the University of Montana's annual Early Childhood Summit: April 3-5, 2025. Summit organizers are looking for Spotlight Poster submissions and Award nominations! See below for more info.
Call for Spotlight Posters - Deadline Feb. 23
Call for Awards - Nomination deadline Feb. 14
National Head Start Fellowship Program
The National Head Start Fellowship Program (NHSFP) grows and supports early childhood leaders by including a range of professional experiences and individual skills and talents across communities. The NHSFP stands out from other fellowship programs because of its broad scope and support of the comprehensive Head Start approach. The application window is open and the deadline to apply is March 3, 2025.
Visit the Head Start website for more info.
In the News
- Head Start chaos is harmful for children, parents and educators (Early Learning Nation)
- Even as child care providers expand, high costs and workforce recruitment remain problematic (Flathead Beacon)
- The science of reading: Its time to bring preschool teachers into the conversation (Chalkbeat)
- Applications open for Zero to Five Montana's employer-sponsored child care grant (KPAX)
- Montana lawmakers eye child care challenges for the 2025 session (Montana Free Press)
- Why 'Family, Friend and Neighbor Care' is an essential part of America's child care system (Early Learning Nation)
This project is funded in whole or in part under a Contract with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The statements herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Department.
