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We're excited to launch the Montana Child Care Advocacy Cohort, a new leadership and advocacy opportunity for child care and Head Start professionals. Made possible through support from Child Care Aware of America, this cohort will work together to help educate Montana's federal congressional delegation about the importance of child care and Head Start access for families with young children across our state. There is no more powerful voice than that of early care and education professionals in helping policymakers understand the real-life impact of these programs on children, families, and communities. The cohort will meet periodically between June and September, including time together at the Child Care CONNECT Summit.
🚨 Application deadline: Friday, June 5. Apply today! 🚨
This opportunity is open to individuals currently working in:
🔹 State-licensed or registered child care programs
🔸 Head Start or Early Head Start programs
🔹 Tribal-licensed child care programs
As a cohort member, you'll: ✔ Receive a stipend for your participation
✔ Attend the 2026 Child Care CONNECT Summit at Fairmont Hot Springs (July 28–29) at no cost (hotel and mileage covered)
✔ Connect and collaborate with peers from across Montana
✔ Build your advocacy skills and confidence
✔ Help ensure policymakers understand the real-world impact of federal policies and investments on children, families, and early childhood professionals
Your voice matters, and this will be a great opportunity to elevate your advocacy leadership skills. The application is quick to fill out, and we're happy to answer any questions at info@zerotofive.org.
Community Conversations Road Show heads to Bozeman, Missoula, St. Ignatius & Libby this month
Join us at one of the following locations to help shape a shared vision for early childhood in the 2027 legislative session:
- June: 3: Bozeman – Register here
- June 5: Missoula – Register here
- June 17: St. Ignatius/Snqweylmistn – Contact calliep@zerotofive.org
- June 18: Libby/Lincoln County – Contact Lincoln County Resource Board
We’re excited to get back out to communities to learn about what's impacting families, and discuss solutions. Join us to uplift stories, build advocacy skills, and develop relationships. We're so thankful for the partnership with local community coalitions across Montana to help make these important gatherings possible. We hope you can join and share your perspectives!
Check out our website to see the full tour schedule and learn how you can get involved!
This collaborative event will bring together employers, business leaders and community partners from all over the state to discuss strategies around access to child care for Montana employees. See the agenda, and register here by June 3.
Montana Early Childhood Account Board Meets June 18
🏛️ Montana Early Childhood Account
📆 JUNE 18 10 a.m. - 11 a.m., Via Zoom
Meetings are open to the public and you can tune in via Zoom! Access the agenda, sign up for email updates and learn more about the board on the MECA web page.
Last legislative session, HB 924 established the Montana Early Childhood Account to support Montana’s early childhood system with an initial endowment of $10 million dollars. The board established to manage the account is working on strategies related to infant and toddler care, workforce recruitment and retention, developmental screenings and support through technology grants.
Zero to Five Montana joins First Five Federal-State Partnership
Last month Zero to Five Montana joined early childhood advocates from 14 other states in Washington D.C. for the inaugural First Five Federal-State Partnership Summit hosted by First Five Years Fund. It was an incredible opportunity to deepen our knowledge of what is moving in Congress, learn from other states, and map out advocacy strategies.
Our team took the early childhood conversation to Capitol Hill and appreciated the opportunity to meet with staffers in the
offices of Congressman Troy Browning, Steve Daines and Tim Sheehey to discuss the importance of federal investments in child care and early learning programs that support Montana families.
Let Montana’s leaders in Congress know how you feel about their support for strong federal investments to help ensure children are healthy, supported, and ready to learn by age five.
We are seeking a strategic and collaborative Early Childhood Policy Manager to join our team! This role will specializing in early care and education to help advance policies that support young children, families, and the early childhood workforce.
This role is ideal for a professional who is passionate about using research, data, and stakeholder engagement to improve access, quality, and equity within early care and education systems. The Policy Manager will play a key role in shaping and analyzing policy, convening partners, and navigating the legislative landscape to drive impactful, statewide change for children ages zero to five.
Application review begins June 12!
Join for the monthly virtual meet-up to foster connection, collaboration, and information-sharing ☕
June Coffee Connection will be with Tori Sproles,
Director of Early Learning at Greater Gallatin United Way.
Tori will be sharing about their Child Connect Program.
🗓️ June 25 | ⏰ 9 a.m. | 💻 via Zoom
If you haven't joined the Montana Early Childhood Network yet, sign up here!
Family Forward Montana Offers Free Resources for Employers!
Want to learn more? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter featuring resources, sample policies and best practices to make your business one of Montana's Best Places for Working Parents®!
Child Care Program Spotlight
Sapphire Early Learning Executive Director, Kelsey Mahan, has been leading the program in Stevensville for a little over a year. After stepping into the Executive Director role, Kelsey joined our Program Excellence and Administration Knowledge (PEAK) small group coaching cohort, which focuses on strengthening business and administrative practices for early learning programs.
Child Care Providers: Check out The CONNECTOR
Sign up for The CONNECTOR, a new monthly e-blast from Montana Child Care Business Connect supporting the business of care through free training, tools and support for child care programs and professionals.
Register now for the July 28-29 CONNECT Summit
📆 JULY 28-29
📍Fairmont Hot Springs
Karen Lum kicked off our first Summit in 2024 and we are thrilled to have her back at CONNECT this year for an inspiring launch into to an engaging day and a half of learning & connection. Learn more & register for free!
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.
