Early Childhood Legislation Moving Forward

The final days of the 69th Montana Legislature are just ahead and it has been a very busy month! Thanks to your support and advocacy, several priority bills that could have real impact for our start have passed through one chamber and are moving forward! 

The Montana House needs to hear from you on SB 321 (tax credit package) and SB 565 (early childhood endowment)! Please consider sending a quick note to committee members with the handy links below:

• SB 321: Provide for tax credits for children and child care: This bill would establish a tax credit package focused on families, child care workers, and employers who provide child care supports (Passed out of the Senate - will be heard in House Taxation, date/time TBD) 📣 SEND A QUICK MESSAGE TO THE COMMITTEE!
   

• SB 565: Creating the Montana endowment for early childhood and related structure: This bill establishes the Montana Early Childhood Endowment, a groundbreaking investment in the future of Montana’s children. Funds from this account could be allocated to support workforce development & provider support, quality improvement, affordability initiatives, innovation programs, and emergency assistance. (Passed out of the Senate - will be heard in House Human Services, date/time TBD) 📣 SEND A QUICK MESSAGE TO THE COMMITTEE!
  
  Other bills still in motion:

• HB 456: Provide best beginnings scholarships to child care workers: Automatically qualifies any child care workers who work in a licensed day-care center, or registered family or group day-care home to receive the Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship. Will be up for a vote on the House floor today (4/7) 
   
• HB 220: Provide for a child tax credit: This bill would provide a $1,200 refundable child tax credit for children 5 and under (capped at $56,000 income). (Passed the House, referred to the Senate Taxation Committee, date/time TBD)

👥 Join us at noon on Thursdays for our weekly legislative update call! Register HERE.

Can't make the call? Want to chat about a bill? Register for our office Hours - every Tuesday 10 a.m. - Sign Up

Other resources:

• Advocacy tips and tricks
• Advocacy list (receive weekly email updates)
• Early childhood bill tracker
• Provide virtual or written testimony
• Find your state legislators

Save the Date!
Montana Early Childhood Tribal Language Summit June 2-4

Tribal teams, educators, Native language and culture advocates, and individuals working in support of Native children and their families are invited to come together to honor each other's work in teaching and supporting Native languages and cultures at the Montana Early Childhood Tribal Language Summit June 2-4 at Montana State University. 

Educators from Montana early childhood programs, Tribal Colleges, immersion schools, and nationwide language advocates will discuss the best practices that help language and culture to flourish within our tribal communities. Come learn, share, and create connections with other passionate educators, community partners, and advocates. 

Participants are eligible for CEUs and OPI Renewal Credits through the Montana Office of Public Instruction for attendance and participation in this summit.

Montana State University is generously offering a limited number of dorm rooms on campus at the reduced rate of $55/night. Each room includes two beds and common area shower and restrooms. The rate is the same for both single and double occupancy.

The full agenda and registration information is coming soon! If you are interested in reserving one or more dorm rooms for your stay, please click the button below.

Please join us in welcoming Melissa Winger, our new Early Childhood Policy Manager, and Kayla DeWit McCarthy, our new Communications Support Specialist, to the Zero to Five Montana team!

Melissa is deeply passionate about building early childhood systems that support families and strengthen communities across the state. Her recent pursuits include co-founding an early childhood coalition and indoor play space in Southwestern Montana, where she taught parenting classes and spearheaded community-based programming to connect families and build an early childhood community of support. Melissa combines her love for systems building and mental health support in her work to train and manage a network of parent peer support groups throughout Montana. 

Kayla is a dedicated mother of two and has always had a passion for community. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Community Health and Prevention Sciences from the University of Montana, she took the entrepreneurial route and owned and operated her own small Montana business, where her experience in marketing and communications began. Kayla has a strong background in the Montana nonprofit sector and looks forward to advancing the organization’s mission to ensure Montana’s kids get the best start in life. 

Learn more about our full staff on our website.

3rd Community Child Care Capacity-Building Cohort Launched!

Montana Child Care Business Connect's 3^rd Community Child Care Capacity Building Cohort has officially launched!

Five vibrant communities will work together to collect data, identify solutions, and implement action plans. Community participants collaborate over a 1-year period to evaluate, enhance, establish, and expand existing and/or new child care programs and systems.

Participating communities include:

• Beaverhead & Madison County 
• Big Sky Community
• Dawson County
• Lewis and Clark County
• Park County

Stay tuned for updates on this initiative!

Shared Services Updates

New on the MCCBC blog!  Through our Shared Services program, we are uplifting the exchange of ideas among child care providers to create innovative solutions that support both professionals and the families they serve. 

These services support high-quality child care and aim to reduce staff turnover and administrative stress. By using shared services, child care programs can operate more efficiently and effectively. 

From telehealth to discounts on supplies, learn more about the services we offer on the blog!

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 available! If you have been participating in Telehealth, please take note of recent payment deadline updates that were emailed and are posted on the Shared Services web page.
Please visit the Shared Services web page for more information and registration.
 

Tiny Training: Time Management Systems
for Business Efficiency starts April 17 

Struggling to keep up with the endless demands of running your child care business?

Time Management Systems for Business Efficiency is a powerful training series designed to help you get organized, reclaim your time, and reduce stress using proven methods like the Eisenhower Matrix, Time Blocking, and the GTD Method.

Join us and learn practical, easy-to-implement strategies that will transform the way you work—so you can focus on what truly matters!

Register now!

TIME MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR BUSINESS EFFICIENCY

• April 17: Introduction: Time Management Systems
• May 1: The Eisenhower Matrix
• May 15: Time Blocking
• May 29: The Pomodoro Technique
• June 12: The 1-3-5 Rule
• June 26: The Getting Things Done Method (GTD)

Attendence in four classes will earn you 2 ECP credit hours

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

New Course Series: Child Care Management Software

Montana Child Care Business Connect is excited to offer courses on three Child Care Management Software programs that can help with business best practices. You can take all of the classes or choose the series for the software program that suits your needs! You need to take all five classes in each series to get the ECP Credit.

Montana Child Care Business Connect is not endorsing or selling any child care management software programs.  

Procare classes are 1-2 p.m., every other Thursday, April 24 – June 19

Registration is open!

Stay tuned for courses on Playground in July and Brightwheel in September!

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.)

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 (NEW!)

IN THE NEWS

• Mass layoffs rattle Head Start leaders already on edge over funding problems (Associated Press)
• Flathead Childcare expands with 2 new locations (Daily Interlake)
• Change to Montana child care subsidy caught in crosshairs of fiscal conservatives (Helena Independent Record)
• Poll: A majority of Montanans express concern over child care availability, affordability (Montana Free Press)