Celebrating Collaboration

As I reflect on the last month, I’m filled with gratitude for the incredible early childhood leaders who came together at the 3rd annual CONNECT Summit. It was so much fun to partner with Child Care Training/Child Care Resources, the Early Childhood Project, SPARK Montana, Family Connections, and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services on this event. Huge thanks also to the Montana Association for the Education of Young Children as well as Governor and First Lady Gianforte for participating and supporting early care and education across Montana.

We are stronger together and we are committed to working with you all as our state and local partners to strengthen our early childhood system. Please be sure to join the Early Childhood Network, and reach out if you have feedback for how we can make the summit an even better experience for you next year.

As we carry the good energy into October, we’re excited to share updates, opportunities, and stories that continue to move our connective work forward across Montana. 

Save the date for next year's summit: July 28 & 29, 2026 at Fairmont Hot Springs!

Early Childhood Leaders Convene in D.C.

Zero to Five Montana was thrilled to join a Montana team in Washington D.C. last month to learn, collaborate, and work together through bipartisan partnerships for Montana’s kids and families during The Hunt Institute's Annual Early Childhood Leadership Summit.

This annual event aims to bring leaders and resource experts together to inspire and support elected officials and early care and education leaders across the nation as they develop and strengthen early childhood systems. 

The Montana team included (left to right): Alex DuBois (Zero to Five Montana), Sen. Josh Kassmier (SD 13), Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins, Caitlin Jensen (Zero to Five Montana), Rep. Melissa Nikolakakos (HD 20), Rep. Valarie Moore (HD 29), and Sen. Laura Smith (SD 40). 

We are so grateful for state and local champions who are working hard to put Montana’s children and families first. If you want to engage in policy and advocacy, sign up for our advocacy mailing list or reach out to us at info@zerotofive.org. We’d love to connect!

Trailblazing Tribal Transitions Summit:
Nov. 5 & 6 at Fairmont Hot Springs

We are excited to share that eight community teams are confirmed for the upcoming Trailblazing Tribal Transitions Summit, an event that will highlight the unique transitions children and families experience within tribal communities. Confirmed teams include:

• Flathead Reservation (3 teams)
• Lincoln County
• Blackfeet Nation
• Rocky Boy
• Ft. Peck
• Crow Nation

This gathering will be a powerful opportunity to uplift community voices and strengthen supports for children and families across Montana.

Early Childhood Tribal Coalition: Family Engagement Events

We’re also excited to announce the Early Childhood Tribal Coalition will receive a $6,000 mini grant from the Bright Futures B-5 Team with the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services. These funds will support three family engagement activities including child finds, designed to connect families with resources and celebrate community strengths. Coalition members are currently working through ways to prioritize which communities will host these events. More details coming soon!
 

Want to Help Build a Better Future for
Montana Children & Families?

Join the Montana Strong Start Alliance, a coalition dedicated to advancing a Montana child tax credit. A child tax credit puts money back in families’ pockets to help them 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!  

*For more information on child tax credits, click here.

Have you joined the Montana Early Childhood Network?

The Montana Early Childhood Network is a diverse and unique group of Montanans interested in building a robust and supported early childhood system in Montana.

Learn more and sign up!

October is Head Start Awareness month!

For 60 years, Head Start has provided kids with quality early education, nutrition, and community resources to help families thrive.

According to the Montana Head Start Association, Head Start serves around 3,600 kids in our state through 22 programs including Head Start programs serving ages 3-5, and Early Head Start programs serving expecting families and children ages 0-3. More than 1,300 Montanans staff our state's Early Head Start & Head Start programs.

Head Start Awareness month is a great time to spread the word, ensuring that members of Congress, staffers, and other decision-makers know how essential this program is to Montana families in their districts. Learn more at Stand for Head Start and the Montana Head Start Association. 

Legislative Interim Update

Every 10 years, the School Funding Commission meets to study how Montana funds its K-12 public schools and whether there should be any changes. For example, previous Commissions recommended adding an inflationary adjustment to public school funding (i.e., increasing school funding as inflation goes up).

The Commission influences how our public education system is funded and how our children get the resources they need to thrive. They need Montanans to tell them the what’s working, what’s missing, and ideas you have on how Montana’s education system should look. For example, what do you want for your child’s education?

The School Funding Commission is asking for feedback through 4 surveys:

1. An initial survey about who you are and where you are from (just your county and role, no names)
2. Question 1: Given this world, what are the skills that you believe Montana’s young people will most need to thrive? 
3. Question 2: What should Montana’s education system prioritize to best prepare our students to be ready for the world they are facing? 
4. A final survey that allows you to weigh in specifically on the design of the Montana education system and the funding for that system. 

To help get you started, the Commission recommends viewing this slide deck before completing the above surveys.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Matt Bachand, who is the NCEE lead on feedback gathering (mbachand@ncee.org).

Upcoming Legislative Interim Meetings

Oct. 14 – 15: School Funding Interim Commission - Capitol Room 317
 

Montana Small Business Development Centers offering
Digital Marketing Workshop for Small Businesses Oct. 21

This is a hands-on, in-person workshop designed specifically for small business owners and entrepreneurs looking to build or improve their digital presence using simple, low-cost tools. Space is limited—register early to secure your seat by clicking on one of these locations closest to you:

📍Wolf Point: mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/6108

📍Kalispell: mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/6116

📍Helena: mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/6117

📍Billings: mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/6113

📍Miles City: mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/6114

📍Great Falls: mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/6115

Please bring your own laptop or device to work on during the session.

Child care providers: Two ECP credits will be made available upon your attending this course! For more information or to provide your PV/PS numbers, contact Jason Nitschke at jasonn@zerotofive.org

Call for Participants for Program Excellence & Administrative Knowledge (PEAK) for Centers

Montana Child Care Business Connect is seeking 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.

New on the MCCBC blog!

If you're a business owner and struggle with business management, consider writing your plan down! 

The data tells us that you’re more likely to implement the strategy written out versus letting it just live in your head! Plus – you’ll be less stressed and overall, much happier 🙂
Read last months full blog, HERE.

Shared Services

SHARED SERVICES SPOTLIGHT 
Introducing Parachute – a child care management system (CCMS) offering discounts to Montana family child care providers and centers. Join Montana Child Care Business Connect's Child Care Business Advisor Kendra Edlin for a training on this CCMS, upcoming classes are from 1:30-2:30 p.m. and include:

• 10/16: Getting Started 
• 10/30: Food Programming 
• 11/06: Financial Management 
• 11/20: Family Engagement and Branding Your Business

Click this link to register for FREE: www.mtecpregistry.mtecp.org/register.aspx?evid=527202

🔹🔹🔹

TELEHEALTH
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!

Tiny Trainings Webinars

A new series focused on Employee Onboarding starts Nov. 13! Register at the button below!

This course runs from 1-1:30 p.m. every 2 weeks from Nov. 13 to Dec. 18 (No class on Thanksgiving, Nov. 27.)

Getting new employees onboarded and up to speed can be challenging for child care providers. In this series, you will learn what is working for your peers in this area and gain great ideas from each other. Participation in (4) of the training sessions will give you 2 hours of ECP credits. 

Find recordings of our previous Tiny Training webinars on the MCCBC YouTube channel, or visit childcarebusinessconnect.com. 

Montana Child Care Business Connect is offering FREE courses through ChildCareTraining.org!

We’ve partnered with ChildCareTraining.org to offer FREE low-cost courses with ECP credits. Learn more & access the courses on our website.

1. Small Business Resiliency
2. Employee Recruitment and Retention
3. How to Create a Business Plan
4. Marketing Community and Family Engagement in your Child Care Program
5. Twelve-Minute Risk Management
6. Parent and Employee Handbooks 
7. Understanding Income & Expenses 
8. Budgeting and Saving for Family Child Care Providers

Montana Head Start Association:
Early Childhood Family Engagement Webinar Series

The Montana Head Start Association is hosting a family engagement webinar series for early childhood providers, families and anyone interested in improving their skills in early childhood settings. Register below for free.

Oct. 29, 2-3 p.m.: Understanding Resistance: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Family Engagement

Nov. 13, 10-11 a.m.: Connection: The Not-So-Secret Sauce