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Monumental Investment in Early Childhood Signed Into Law
The “Growth and Opportunity Trust,” historic bipartisan legislation establishing the Montana Early Childhood Account (Montana House Bill 924) has been signed into law! This is a major win for our state's children, families, and communities – thank you to everyone who sent an email, provided testimony and signed on to our letter urging Gov. Gianforte to sign the bill. Your voice makes difference!
HB 924 creates a sustainable endowment with a $10 million initial investment and leverages surplus revenues to make long-term, strategic investments in early childhood, such as:
- workforce development & provider support like training and recruitment and retention incentives
- quality improvements like enhancing accreditation, curriculum, safety and support for children with special needs
- innovation programs to grow community-based child care options and early intervention services
- affordability initiatives like expanding child care subsidies, before and after school care and emergency financial aid for families in crisis
The legislation directs our state to coordinate across state agencies to increase efficiencies, expand access, and support data-driven decision-making through Montana’s early childhood strategic plan, while fostering public-private partnerships.
This unprecedented early childhood account is a fiscally responsible, forward-looking trust that supports working parents, strengthens our state’s workforce, and lays the foundation for a thriving Montana for generations to come. Read more on our website.
Native Nations Convening Sets Priorities for
Tribal Early Childhood Policy Initiative
Callie Parr, Zero to Five Montana’s Early Childhood Tribal Coordinator, had the honor of participating in the first convening of Native Nations: Honoring Culture and Shaping Futures for Children and Families.
Tribal child care programs, Head Start and home visiting teams, tribal leaders, parents, elders, educators, researchers, health professionals, and state and national partners came together as equals during the interactive conference. Using the Future Search model, 56 participants representing 41 tribes stepped away from the typical conference format of panels and presentations and instead leaned into dialogue, listening, and reflecting.
The end result was a co-created collective vision for the future of early care and learning in tribal communities.
Special thanks to the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska for their generous support, and to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and Educare Winnebago for graciously hosting the event.
Registration for the 2025 CONNECT Summit Opens July 15 for
Newsletter Subscribers! (and July 28 for everyone else 😀)
Be among the first 50 people to register and you will be in the running for some fun prizes from Zero to Five Montana! More information coming soon.
This year’s event is focused on showcasing how our state’s early childhood system is “Stronger Together.” The 2025 CONNECT Summit is brought to you by Zero to Five Montana in partnership with Child Care Training, Child Care Resources, Montana Early
Childhood Project, SPARK Montana, and Family Connections Montana. We believe when we unite efforts in building our state’s early childhood system, we are Stronger Together.
🤝 Interested in supporting this work through a summit sponsorship? Click on the button below for more information.
Congratulations, All Our Kin 10-Week Business Series Graduates!
Fourteen Montana child care program owners graduated from our 10 week Business Series on June 3. Participants earned 34 ECP credits learning in-depth best practices for business.
Congratulations to the graduates, including: Eidith Belknap, Amanda Creamer, Patti Gross, Jessica Holton, Gracie Houde, Tristan Johnson, Winda Johnson, Britney Klinger, Jennifer Losing, Kelley Quintero, Jessy Schoeder, Valarie St. Clair, Becca Whitman and Jennie Yates.
Registration for the September series opens July 29! The dates and topics include:
- Sept. 9: Introduction
- Sept. 16: Marketing Plan
- Sept. 23: Optional Meet-up at 2025 CONNECT Summit
- Sept. 30: Contracts
- Oct. 7: Policy Handbooks and Community Engagement
- Oct. 14: Risk Management
- Oct. 21: Time-Space Percentage
- Oct. 28: Income and Expenses
- Nov. 4: Cash Flow, Budgeting Savings
- Nov. 11: Record Keeping Preparing for Taxes
- Nov. 18: Graduation
ECE Wages Up According to MTDLI Report
Wages in the early childhood education industry have ticked up according to the newly published Montana Department of Labor Occupation and Employment Wage Statistics report.
Childcare administrators’ median hourly wages are up 26% to $28.72, median teacher wages are up 2.4% to $17.11 per hour, and the average childcare worker is up 8% year-over-year to $15.11 and 18% over the last two years. Data represents wages gathered in Montana between June 2023-May 2024. Read the OEWS report.
NEW on the MCCBC Blog!
Keeping momentum going after those first few conversations is where a lot of community projects can fall flat. This halt in progress is not because your team doesn’t care, but because this work is hard, and the next steps can feel unclear or overwhelming.
📝 This months blog written by Zero to Five Montana's Community Navigator, Shelby Whelan, is for the leader who is looking for steps to help their team maintain progress and focus!
If you’re working on child care in your community, or want to, you don’t have to wait for the perfect time or a formal invitation! Reach out anytime for support from Zero to Five Montana on how to get started.
Shared Services
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 get enrolled for $12/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!
Vendor Spotlight
🦊 The School Services of Montana Cooperative Food Purchasing Program provides quality food and other supplies at a reduced cost to child care programs.
Program details:
▪️ Join for free
▪️ Orders can be placed weekly or when needed
▪️ Minimum order of $350
▪️ Deliveries can be made to most non-residential areas in Montana
ONLINE TRAININGS
Tiny Trainings Webinars
Find recordings of our previous 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! 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.)
PARTNER EVENTS
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.
