No images? Click here
Accepting Applications:
Employer-sponsored Child Care Grants
Through Zero to Five Montana’s Family Forward Initiative, in partnership with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Bright Futures Birth to Five program, a second round of grant funding is available for Montana employers to develop employer-sponsored child care solutions.
Grants will range from $10,000 to $100,000 depending on the size and scope of the employer’s project plan. Interested employers can apply at familyforwardmt.org by 9 p.m. (MST) on Aug. 24, 2025.
Did you miss our four strategy webinars? The recordings and presentations can all be found at the link below!
Just Published:
2025 Legislative Session Report
Over the course of 85 days, Montana legislators requested 260 bill drafts related to early childhood – 160 of those were officially introduced, 49 passed through the House and Senate chambers, and 45 eventually became law. Learn more about those bills in our comprehensive 2025 session report.
We are proud to share our this overview of our session advocacy and hope it tells the story of our successes, our losses, and the road ahead. The work continues during the legislative interim! If you are interested in staying informed or getting involved, join our advocacy email list at bit.ly/ztfmt-advocacy
Registration for the 2025 CONNECT Summit is Open!
This year’s event is focused on showcasing how our state’s early childhood system is “Stronger Together.” The 2025 CONNECT Summit is brought to you by Zero to Five Montana in partnership with Child Care Training, Child Care Resources, Montana Early Childhood Project, SPARK Montana, and Family Connections Montana. We believe when we unite efforts in building our state’s early childhood system, we are Stronger Together.
🤝 Interested in supporting this work through a summit sponsorship? Click on the button below for more information.
Montana Early Childhood Network
Coffee Connection: Aug 28
This month’s Coffee Connection will be hosted by network member Karen Filipovich with the Montana Head Start Association.
Karen will discuss how best to support your local Head Start amid changes related to the federal budget.
Have you joined the network yet?
Want to help build a better future
for Montana children and families?
Join the Montana Strong Start Alliance, a coalition dedicated to advancing a Montana child tax credit. Raising a family is expensive. Child tax credits help families keep up with rising costs such as housing, food, transportation, and child care. Together, we can collaborate, inform, and advocate for strong, financially secure families across Montana. Sign up here today!
Montana Early Childhood Account Board Accepting Applications &
DPHHS Hiring Early Childhood Account Specialist
Great news! Applications are open for the governor-appointed board that will determine the funding priorities for the Montana Early Childhood Account established by HB 924. This 10-person board will also oversee how funds are spent and evaluate the success of early childhood services and activities. If you are interested in helping to shape a better future for Montana’s young children, you should apply!
▶️ LEARN MORE & APPLY
Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services is hiring an Early Childhood Account Specialist, a role funded through the passage of HB 924 that established the Montana Early Childhood Account. They are looking for someone with strong facilitation, research, data collection/analysis, and report writing skills. Knowledge of the early childhood system is also a plus.
▶️ LEARN MORE & APPLY
Call for Participants for PEAK for Centers
We are seeking two additional centers to participate in our next cohort of PEAK for Centers, learning and implementing business practice improvements from the Program Administration Scale Third Edition (PAS-3). For more information about PEAK cohorts contact Jason at JasonN@ZerotoFive.org or Enroll Here.
Registration is open for the September
All Our Kin 10-Week Business Series
Do you want to strengthen your business skills? This class is for you!
This All Our Kin 10-week Business Series starts Sept. 9 and is designed for family and group childcare providers who love what they do and want a sustainable business. The topics covered include marketing, policy handbooks, risk management and budgeting. This course is limited to 25 participants so sign up today!
A few things to know:
▪️Classes are offered via Zoom on Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. and run Sept. 9-Nov. 25.
▪️You must participate in all 10 classes, and will earn 34 ECP hours.
▪️You will need to log into the class via a laptop or computer, not a phone or tablet.
🔗 Learn more & SIGN UP for FREE!
NEW on the MCCBC Blog!
Employee benefits is a topic that can intimidate child care providers – it can be thought of as too expensive, too hard to figure out and often, too complicated.
Zero to Five Montana's Senior Child Care Business Advisor, Jason Nitschke, put together a blog that that breaks down different benefit offerings and explains why they are important.
Shared Services
Did you know AllyHealth offers more than health services?
Legal questions? Budget stress? Everyday life can be overwhelming—AllyHealth services give you fast, confidential access to the experts you need.
Members get access to board-certified doctors, mental health counselors, wellness coaches, life coaches, wellbeing support, work-life support, and more – and nearly every appointment has a $0 copay.
Telehealth and other services powered by AllyHealth support child care providers in Montana and their employees by offering multiple services to help ease daily tasks, all from the convenience of a smart phone 📲 If you'd like to learn more about AllyHealth and how you can enroll for $12 per employee per month, email us at sharedservices@zerotofive.org
VENDOR DISCOUNTS
Montana Child Care Business Connect Shared Services Vendor Discounts help providers find what they need at a better rate. We have partnered for discounts with Constructive Playthings, Gee Whiz Education, Kaplan, Kaymbu, School Services of Montana, Lakeshore, Kodo, and Food & Supply Source. See our website for more information!
ONLINE TRAININGS
Tiny Trainings Webinars
Find recordings of our previous 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 low-cost courses with ECP credits. Click below to enroll! Courses are $8 per ECP credit and you can take them at your convenience!
(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
Montana Office of Public Instruction is offering an Early Learning Liaison and Classroom-based Teacher community of practice on Aug. 11
The 3-hour session is designed to strengthen collaboration, enhance instructional strategies, and support high-quality early learning experiences. This training is essential for Early Learning Liaisons and teachers who are new to the Early Learning Classroom-based Program; however, anyone working with 4-year-old programs is welcome to attend. Aug. 11, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.. LEARN MORE
IN THE NEWS
- States create trust funds to bolster child care and early childhood education (zero2eight)
- Montana advocates win historic, bipartisan new revenue stream for early childhood (Alliance for Early Success)
- Zero to Five Montana offers child care grants for employers (Non Stop Local)
- Why Americans should care about child care – even if they don't have kids (The Hechinger Report)
- US adults want the government to focus on child care costs, not birth rates (AP News)
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.
