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We have nearly reached transmittal - the midpoint of the legislative session! Legislators will be on break from March 8-13. Before they head back to Helena, this is a great time to reach out to share your hopes and concerns about the issues that matter the most to you and your family. (If you don’t know who your legislators are, you can look them up here.) Conversations are happening right now that could help families with young children all across our state, so know your story matters.
We are thrilled to support parents, grandparents, teachers, child care providers, and caring citizens in amplifying their voices on critical early childhood issues. On Feb. 5, we hosted our inaugural Early Childhood Summit, followed by our "Have a Heart for Kids" advocacy day at the Capitol on Feb. 6., where we supported 18 families in engaging with their elected representatives (though a few couldn’t make it to Helena due to weather.) This legislative session, the Zero to Five Montana team has provided testimony on 32 bills, delivered 4 advocacy trainings, held 9 weekly legislative update calls (in addition to regular email updates and social media posts), and is actively tracking 254 bills.
A special shoutout goes to our early childhood partners who advocate both in-person at the Capitol and online via Zoom. Your dedication strengthens our collective efforts –together, we are making a difference!
If you are interested in getting involved, let us know how we can help you make connections or get engaged in legislative advocacy in Montana.
Caitlin Jensen, Zero to Five Montana Executive Director
Montana Prenatal to Five Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis Webinar
slated for March 11
Zero to Five Montana and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services have partnered with Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies to conduct a comprehensive fiscal analysis of the prenatal to five system in Montana. Join us for a one-hour project update on March 11 at 10 a.m. (register here)
Attendees will also be invited to share details about their operations and challenges to help inform the development of the direct service child care and home visiting cost models.
(If you missed our first constituent webinar introducing the project in November 2024, you can review the recording here.)
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.
Join our weekly Early Care & Education legislation update calls!
Join us at noon on Thursdays for our weekly legislative update call to learn more about early childhood bills moving through the session! Register HERE.
Other legislative resources:
All Our Kin 10-week Business Series
for Family and Group Child Care Providers Starts April 1
Are you a Family, Group, or FFN child care business owner? Have you wanted to strengthen your business skills? This class is for you!
You will receive All Our Kin Business Series certification after completing this class. You will also become a member of the Montana Child Care Business Series Alumni. This community will always be available to you with easy-to-understand and use resources, support, and business best practice knowledge. Alumni will be invited to join a quarterly community of practice meetings and other great networking opportunities.
You must participate in all 10 classes, and 34 ECP hours will be awarded for this series. Classes will be offered via Zoom on Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. You will need to log into the class via a laptop or computer, NOT a phone or tablet.
This course is limited to 20 participants, early registration is recommended!
Register --> https://bit.ly/MT-ECP
COURSE SCHEDULE
- Class One: April 1 - Introduction to the Business Series
- Class Two: April 8 - Marketing your business
- Class Three: April 15 - Writing your contracts
- Class Four: April 22 - Policy Handbook and Communication
- Class Five: April 29 - Risk Management and Emergency Preparedness
- Class Six: May 6 - Time-Space Percentage
- Class Seven: May 13 - Income and Expenses
- Class Eight: May 20 - Financial Management
- Class Nine: May 27 - Record Keeping and Taxes
- Class Ten: June 3 - GRADUATION and additional resources
Course details --> https://bit.ly/MT-ECP
If you have questions, please reach out to Kendra Edlin kendrae@zerotofive.org. (If you are interested but this round doesn’t work for your schedule, please reach out to Kendra for info on the next series!)
Now Enrolling: Program Excellence & Administration Knowledge
Child Care Business Technical Assistance
Are you a child care provider interested in improving overall program quality, as well as gaining administrative and business knowledge? Sign up for Montana Child Care Business Connect’s Program Excellence and Administration Knowledge (PEAK) business technical assistance program!
This small group business technical assistance program is designed to support licensed and registered child care centers and family/group programs in Montana to increase overall program quality, as well as administrative and business knowledge.
This program uses research-backed recommendations from the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership. Every month, participants will conduct self-assessments and create action plans to increase quality business practices in their program.
🔷 The PEAK for Family/Groups coaching program uses the Business Administration Scale (BAS-2) Second Edition to review, design, and implement quality business practices. Programs will learn the BAS-2 scale and its 10 subscales. Center participants will receive 18 hours ECP credit upon successful completion.
Enroll here: FAMILY/GROUP COACHING PROGRAM
🔶 The PEAK for Centers coaching program uses the Program Administration Scale (PAS) Third Edition to review, design, and implement quality business practices. Programs will learn the PAS-3 scale and 25 subscales. Family/Group participants will receive 8 hours ECP credit upon successful completion
Enroll here: CENTERS COACHING PROGRAM
Shared Services Updates
NEW! VENDOR DISCOUNTS
Vendor discounts are now available! Stay tuned as we add more vendors.
See the website for more information.
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!
ONLINE TRAININGS
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 low-cost 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 April 3-5
Registration is open for the University of Montana's annual Early Childhood Summit: April 3-5, 2025.
IN THE NEWS
- Bills before legislature aim to make child care more affordable, accessible (Montana Free Press)
- Montana child care deserts are a continuing issue (KTVH)
- Supporters argue bills to expand Best Beginnings would support children, families, economy (Daily Montanan)
- Despite opposition, Montana legislator advances two priority bills from American Indian Caucus (Montana Free Press)
- Should employers step up on child care? (Vox)
- Child care is expensive, but no one is getting rich from it (Star Tribune)
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.
