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Upcoming Events
Oct. 6: Board of Public Education Early Literacy Advisory Council Meeting, 10 a.m. Watch Here
Montana Child Care Business Connect Tiny Trainings Webinar Series:
Oct. 5: Q&A with a Banker/Lender
Oct. 19: Q&A with an Accountant
Register for Tiny Trainings in October & November - see below!
OTHER EVENTS
Oct. 10: Rural Child Care Resources Roundtable in Wolf Point
Oct. 12: Rural Child Care Resources Roundtable in Baker
Oct. 19-21: MTAEYC Conference in Billings
ZERO TO THREE highlights HB 287
During the 2023 Montana legislative session, Zero to Five Montana advocated for the inclusion of early childhood programs in HB 287, an act to expand Montana’s Indian Language Preservation program. That bill passed and was signed into law! This month, the Office of Public Instruction’s guidelines for all new regulations including collaborations with early childhood settings and family centers, go into effect.
“Carrie Spotted Bear, Zero to Five Montana’s Early Childhood Tribal Policy Coordinator and member of the Blackfeet Nation, provides technical assistance and support to tribal governments in their application for and implementation of their language preservation efforts,” the piece reports.
“In 2022, Spotted Bear led the 2022 Montana Infant/Toddler Tribal Language Pilot which included five early childhood centers designing and implementing tribal language preservation efforts. Future programming will continue to support the implementation of the recently amended legislation.”
Read the full spotlight on the ZERO TO THREE website.
Montana Child Care Retention and Recruitment
Child Care Assistance for Child Care Workers
Are you a parent or guardian working in child care and need assistance paying for your own child/children’s care?
A one-time only child care assistance program is available for eligible childcare employees through the Montana Bright Futures Birth to Five Grant (BF B-5). Applications can be submitted through your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency. Funding is limited and applications are processed on a first come first serve basis.
Montana Board of Public Education's Early Literacy Advisory Council Update & Input Opportunity
Thanks to HB 352, a bill that passed the Montana legislature and was signed into law this year, early literacy services in school districts may soon be a reality for more families across Montana!
Literacy gaps appear in children well before they enter kindergarten – in fact, 1 in 3 children start kindergarten without the language skills needed to learn to read. Access to early learning is lacking in our state and we are thrilled to support these system efforts that will make a positive impact for children and families. Focusing on early literacy is one strategy to make positive short and long-term impacts for many early learners across our state.
To support the implementation of HB 352, the Montana Board of Public Education created the Early Literacy Advisory Council (ELAC). The council is currently seeking input from school district leaders, educators, and early childhood programs currently partnering with a public school. If you fall into one of those groups, please help ELAC learn about early literacy assessments currently being used in Montana by filling out this survey: https://bit.ly/MTearlylit
To learn more about ELAC, go to https://bpe.mt.gov/Advisory-Councils
Montana team discusses goals at Hunt Institute summit
Montana was represented at the The Hunt Institute's Early Childhood Leadership Summit in September by Rep. Jane Gillette, Caitlin Jensen (our executive director), Rep. Melissa Romano, Sen. Dennis Lenz, Rep. Jennifer
Carlson, Rep. Fiona Nave and Tracy Moseman from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Early Childhood and Family Support Division (not pictured). The group spent time together looking at data and discussing goals for the future of early care and education in our state.
This annual event brings together policymakers, advocates, state officials and others to discuss the need for prioritizing investment in our early childhood systems.
Attendees from across the nation heard from experts on topics including the science behind early childhood development, policy innovations, effective child care funding strategies and approaches to developing the early childhood workforce pipeline.
"The Ripple Effect" of the Headwaters Foundation
Have you seen the inaugural impact report released by the Headwaters Foundation? It's a comprehensive look at the incredible work our seed-funders are doing in our state.
By awarding grants, providing technical assistance, and offering training and other non-monetary support, Headwaters Foundation is helping to power the work of 312 organizations in Montana. Check it out, it's worth a read!
Thank you, Headwaters Foundation, for your vision to create and uplift positive change in Montana!
Connect's first summit is in the books!
The Montana Child Care Business Connect Summit was a highly anticipated event in the early childhood education industry, bringing together leaders and professionals from a cross-section of Montana's child care industry. The summit, held at Fairmont Hot Springs last month, was designed to create a space for stakeholders to exchange knowledge, learn about new trends, discuss challenges, and explore opportunities for growth and impact.
Our first summit was a resounding success, with an impressive turnout of attendees from across Montana. The event offered a comprehensive program that touched on virtually every aspect of the child care industry, from licensing and regulation to marketing, technology, and workforce development, among others.
Thank you to all our presenters and attendees! We are already looking forward to (and planning) next year's event!
Community Child Care Capacity Cohort #2 launches
During the week of our first annual conference, members of our first and second community child care capacity building cohorts gathered to celebrate accomplishments and to kickstart another six months of work with our second group of participants.
Cohort #1 spent the day in their final roundtable discussion around statewide resources, focus groups, and sharing their successes and advice on a panel for the upcoming cohort.
Cohort #2 engaged in group discussions, and training around child care basics, collaboration, facilitation, and local gap analysis data.
The Connect team is excited to see what continued development comes from cohort #1 and the new beginnings of cohort #2.
Education & Events
These free offerings are part of a webinar series specific to different aspects of business practices for business owners/directors/managers. Participants must attend a minimum of four of the seven offerings to receive CE credit.
Webinar Series Schedule:
- October 5: Q&A with a Banker/Lender
- October 19: Q&A with an Accountant
- November 2: Q&A with an Insurance Agent
- November 16: Q&A with a Lawyer
- November 30: Q&A with Human Resources
- December 14: Q&A with a Licensor & an R&R
All Tiny Training webinars are held from 1:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Missed a Tiny Training webinar? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to access past recordings. Or visit childcarebusinessconnect.com.
In the News
- The child care cliff is here, Missoula providers are looking for support (KPAX)
- Work the land or mind the kids: child care crisis hits US farm belt (Context)
- Summit addresses economic impact of child care in Montana (ABC/Fox Montana)
- Montana Child Care Business Connect wraps up fall summit (NBCMontana)
- Power mom creates child care center in Fairfield (The Fairfield Sun Times)
- Republicans and Democrats agree that child care is in crisis. Why aren't they fixing it? (Fast Company)
- Kentucky found a solution to its daycare worker shortage. Other states could follow suit. (NPR)
- The child care cliff: A $122 billion crisis, but whose problem is it? (Forbes)
We're moving!
The Zero to Five Montana office is in the process of moving up the block to 34 N. Last Chance Gulch, suite 101, in Helena. We aren't quite settled in yet, but you can still reach any of us via email – our contact info can be found on our staff page. Or, you can always email us at info@zerotofive.org and we'll get you to the right person!
