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OCTOBER 2022
Upcoming Events!
- October is Head Start Awareness Month!
- Oct. 14: Montana Parent Voice launches (read more below!)
- Oct. 20-22: MTAEYC Early Childhood Conference
- Oct. 20: Rural Communities Child Care Solutions Webinar (more info below!)
- Oct. 31: Halloween
Introducing: Montana Parent Voice - Join the Herd!
Zero to Five Montana has launched Montana Parent Voice – a statewide parent advocacy network dedicated solely to increasing awareness related to critical early childhood issues in Montana.
We invite families to come together, learn about issues, advocate and take action for the early childhood system we all want to see for our state. As a collective, families and organizations dedicated to young children can help elevate the need to invest in our kids and Montana's future.
Montana Parent Voice will offer opportunities related to training, support and resources to those who join the group. As a result, families will have a better understanding of and feel confident in engaging in the policy-making process that impacts our youngest citizens.
Often, those closest to the challenges have the best solutions. Zero to Five Montana invites you to be the voice for our youngest citizens and “join the herd” on Facebook and Instagram!
Administration for Children and Families Webinar:
Rural Communities Building Their Own Child Care Solutions
When: Oct. 20, 2022, 1–2:30 p.m. MT
Where: Virtual event, via Zoom, Click here to register
Employers in rural areas are well-aware of the economic challenges child care providers face and what will occur if child care providers lack access to resources or have difficulties hiring and retaining qualified staff. This conversation will address financing, planning, and other tools people in rural and frontier areas can use to help support the supply of high-quality care for children. A panel discussion will highlight a child care co-operative in North Dakota, a bond-financing child
care and community center in Montana, and a tax- credit-financed child care center in Wyoming.
Families: Have you claimed the expanded
Child Tax Credit?
Families can still claim the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) that provides up to $3,600 per child – including for kids in families with no or low income.
GetCTC.org has also launched an option to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) that will help families access even more funds.
Visit GetCTC.org to claim by the Nov. 15 deadline! (Families can continue to claim the CTC after Nov. 15, but they will need to file full tax returns to do so.)
Did you miss the Zero to Five Montana
Child Care Innovations Webinar: Head Start as a Partner?
No worries! You can watch a recording of the webinar at the link below.
Kathy Rich with the Montana Head Start Collaboration Office and Karen Filipovich with the Montana Head Start Association discussed Head Start and some of the innovative community solutions that exist around the state.
In the News
The child care crisis just keeps getting worse - Vox
Home visiting saves lives - NBC Today show
Stay tuned for more information!
