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Upcoming Events!
ARPA CHILD CARE STABILIZATION FUNDING
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUG. 12
If you are a child care provider, or a consumer of child care and can relay this message to your child’s provider, please note the deadline to apply for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Child Care Stabilization Grant funding has been extended to Aug. 12.
This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss. Learn more about this one-time funding to support our child care system across Montana here: https://dphhs.mt.gov/arpa/childcare/ChildCareStabilizationGrant.
The state has an ARPA team available to assist and answer any questions, call 1-844-406-ARPA(2772) or visit apra.mt.gov.
Upcoming Montana Legislature Interim Meetings
Wondering what's coming up soon in the Legislature's Interim Session? Check for upcoming meetings below. (Agendas are often released a week or so ahead of the meeting.)
Aug. 26: Children, Families, Health & Human Services
Sept. 12: Education Interim Committee
Sept. 13: Education Interim Budget Committee - Representatives from other entities with constitutional authority for the governance of education will join to continue a discussion on how to increase student opportunities and improve educational outcomes across the state.
Sept.15: Revenue Interim Committee
Partner Spotlight
Zero to Five Local Community Collaborative Early Childhood Coalition of Beaverhead County seeks to provide support to families with children ages zero to five so that children and caregivers can stay educated, connected, and resilient as they face the challenges and joys of early childhood.
The organization has an indoor play space, a second-hand children’s
clothing boutique, offers summer
play dates, parenting classes, new moms groups and farmer’s market activities.
Learn more at www.earlychildhood406.org.
Zero to Five Montana is Growing!
WELCOME
Alex, Destiny & Rhonda!
Alex Dubois
Business & Community Engagement Manager
Alex fell in love with early childhood education after obtaining a part time position with ASUM Child Care at the University of Montana while attending classes. After being exposed to the importance of early childhood and the critical development that ensues during the first eight years of life, she began her adventure to obtain her degree in Early Childhood Education. In 2015 Alex received her AAS in Early Childhood Education through the University of Montana Western as a single mother to her 3-year-old son. Having real life experience tying to navigate raising a child in Montana in tandem with working to further her career, Alex solidified her drive to make a difference for all shapes and sizes of families in
Montana.
Destiny Gleich
Administrative Manager
As a child who experienced an unstable childhood, Destiny has always had a desire to connect, help and be a driving force for healing in children's lives.
This internal environment led her to earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. After working in different career fields (higher education counseling services, real estate and aerospace), Destiny finally found an organization that coincides with her life mission and she is excited to embark on this Journey with Zero to Five Montana.
“Smile,
Breathe, Go Slowly”- Thich Nhat Hanh
Rhonda Schwenke
Program Director
Rhonda has always had a passion for working with children, leading her to earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology with an emphasis in families from Montana State University-Billings. She has since worked in many aspects of early childhood ranging numerous roles in center care (including preschool teacher), working in an inter-generational program housed on a nursing home campus and as lead professional development specialist for a child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agency. Rhonda most recently worked for the Early Childhood Services Bureau of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Throughout more than 11 years at ECSB,
she worked closely with the STARS to Quality program as well as supporting provider services within the CCR&R agencies. She was most recently a child care licensing program manager, supervising the child care licensors in the field and working to enhance the world of licensing. At Zero to Five Montana, Rhonda will be leading exciting work to expand child care businesses and community-led efforts to increase access to child care across Montana.
Something's Different...
Zero to Five Montana has a new logo! Our new look was designed with intention to reflect our statewide focus and our mission to make a positive difference in the lives of Montana’s children and families. The bison (also often called a buffalo) is widely recognized as a symbol associated with our great state and holds important spiritual significance to our tribal communities.
Zero to Five's Origin Story
Have you ever wondered how Zero to Five Montana came to be? Our seed-funder, Headwaters Foundation, writes about our origin story and that of our partners in the Zero to Five network in this blog post.
We are so grateful to the Headwaters
Foundation for their vision and dedication to Montana's children, families & communities. Thanks to their support we will continue in our work advocating for change at the state and national level, and working to build public-private partnerships across the early childhood and business communities to better support early care and education efforts in Montana.
In the News
Zero to Five Grant to help assess child care needs in community
Fallon County represented at Montana Child Care Policy Workshop
- Kalispell Chamber partners with local child care providers to address care shortage
Guest view: Urgent investments needed to support families and child care providers
- Jobs aplenty, but a shortage of care keeps many women from benefiting
