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April is Strengthening Families Month!
Zero to Five Montana & Upcoming Partner Events
- April 5 -7: UM Early Childhood Education Summit
- April 5, 11 & 29: The Reading League early literacy webinar series
- April 6-7: Montana Family Child Care Network Family, Group, & FFN 2024 Conference
- April 6-12: Week of the Young Child (Check out MTAEYC's Facebook page for events in your area!)
- April 10-12: MCCBC Business Accelerator Mentorship Cohort 2 Kickoff & Cohort 1 Celebration
- April 24-25: Montana Economic Developers Association Conference
- Aug. 7-8: Montana Child Care Business Connect Annual Summit in Helena
Child Care on Agenda for Women in Business
The Zero to Five Montana team was so honored to participate in the incredible “Blazing Trails: Montana Women in Business Summit” hosted by the Montana Chamber of Commerce in Bozeman last month.
During the summit, Caitlin joined Jessica Dehn, the owner of Explore Montessori & Academy, and Sam Schmidt, the clinic director of Alpine Physical Therapy, for a literal fireside chat: “The State of Child Care in Montana; A Look Ahead to the 2025 Legislative Session” moderated by Sheridan Johnson, Montana Chamber government affairs specialist.
Montana Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Specialist Sheridan Johnson and Zero to Five Montana Executive Director Caitlin Jensen (and baby Rylan)
We applaud the Chamber for elevating International Women’s Day on March 8 and for designing a two-day forum focused on issues that not only impact economic development and influence policy, but improve the lives of Montana women and their families.
Callie & Denise Juneau, keynote speaker at the Western Native Voice conference and the first Native woman in the country to be elected to an executive statewide office.
Laying the Groundwork -
Tribal Early Childhood Coalition
Zero to Five Montana’s Early Childhood Tribal Policy Coordinator Callie Parr recently traveled to Billings for the state’s Indian Education For All Best Practices Conference followed by Western Native Voice’s No Vote Left Behind 2024 Membership Conference in Great Falls. Callie is building relationships and making connections as she works to build a strong tribal early childhood coalition.
Recognizing the need for coordinated support efforts to be placed within tribal communities to address early childhood issues, Zero to Five Montana is striving to ensure Montana’s early childhood system uplifts the perspectives and experiences of parents and early childhood leaders across our tribal nations.
The Tribal early childhood coalition will work to mitigate challenges impacting early childhood services in reservation communities. The aim is to assist tribes in aligning values and priorities while sharing knowledge amongst each other as well as the state of Montana.
Federal Budget Includes Increase in CCDBG Funding -
$2M for Montana
The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 was into law last month. The act’s allocations for fiscal year 2024 included a significant increase of $725 million in discretionary funds for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). This was in addition to a smaller increase for Head Start and level funding for other important child care and early education programs such as Parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Learn more and see how the estimated appropriations shake out across the nation on the CLASP website.
PARTNER EVENTS
Professional Development Opportunity
from the Montana Afterschool Alliance
Join the Montana Afterschool Alliance (MTAA) for an interdisciplinary professional development opportunity at MTAA’s statewide conference!
Afterschool and Beyond will be held in Butte, MT, on April 19-20. This conference is designed for professional and personal renewal. In addition to hands-on learning in relevant content areas, there is time in the schedule to connect with colleagues and focus on the well-being of the youth development professionals who support students beyond the school day.
Day one will include two intensive topics focusing on making every child feel welcome in your program, behavior management, and how to make kids feel safe, empowered, and connected to their community. Day two will have a variety of workshop choices. Sprinkled throughout are opportunities for peer learning, personal reflection, and relationship building.
This conference meets the requirement for a summer/statewide conference 21CCLC grants. OPI and ECP credits available. Discounts available for bringing multiple staff!
Registration Open for Central Montana
Farm to School Workshop
Join Snowy Mountain Development, National Center for Appropriate Technology, Winnett ACES, MT Farm to School, and partners for the Central Montana Farm to School Workshop on Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 10am to 5pm at Petroleum County Community Center in Winnett! The Central Montana Farm to School Workshop will feature training on incorporating Montana grown and raised foods into your meals and activities, developing beef to school programs, and how anyone can contribute to these initiatives. There will be hands-on sessions for classroom growing and cooking with students, as well as opportunities for taste tests, networking, and connecting with regional resources.
Registration is $20 and covers lunch and snacks. Six Continuing Education Units and six Early Childhood Project credits will be offered for educators. Registration scholarships are available!
NEW! Introducing Our New Cost of Care Modeling Tool
Our Cost of Care Modeling Tool has been added to the Montana Child Care Business Connect website. On the webpage you'll find the recorded webinar where Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies provided a step-by-step walkthrough of the tool, along with downloadable guides and of course, the modeling tool itself!
This tool has been carefully developed to help child care providers like you gain a deeper understanding of the costs associated with running a child care business, ultimately enabling you to make informed decisions and improve your financial sustainability.
We hope providers find it useful and informative. Check out the new resource here: https://bit.ly/costofcaremodel
We Want to Highlight Your Business!
We are featuring DPHHS Child Care Innovation and Infrastructure Grant recipients to highlight the amazing work being done across Montana. To feature your project and business, please provide us with the following information:
- Logo: Please send a high-resolution version of your organization's logo.
- High-resolution photos: Share high-quality images that showcase your project's progress.
- Project description: Please send a paragraph or two about where you started, the progress you have made and any notable achievements along the way.
Please send the requested materials and information to Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Heide Borgonovo (heideb@zerotofive.org). If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out!
Education & Events
Tiny Trainings Series 4
- April 4 | Performance Management
- April 18 | Using Technology for Efficiency
All webinars will be via zoom from 1:30-2:00 p.m.
Recorded Webinars Available
Missed a Tiny Training webinar? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to access past recordings. Or, visit childcarebusinessconnect.com.
First Children's Finance Trainings
April 23 | Developing Scholarship & Tuition Assistance Programs
6:30-8:30 PM
NEW! MCCBC is now offering courses through www.ChildCareTraining.org!
Watch for more over the next few months!
Small Business Resiliency Course
Don’t let burn-out be the reason you close your business! In some studies, 67% of child care business owners report experiencing some sort of “burn out” as a contributing factor to why they close their doors. Less than 20% of child care businesses that closed their doors reported having any kind of resiliency training or support. It is the goal of this workshop to provide you with four skills that have been proven successful in combatting burn out.
This course can be taken at any time and is free of charge. Two hours ECP credit is available.
In the News
- Small Montana town considers infants in the workplace policy (NBC Montana)
- Child care gets a boost in the new federal spending law, but advocates say it isn't enough (Marketplace)
- Child care benefits for workers effectively pay for themselves, study finds (Axios)
- Montana lawmakers again delay day care rules (Helena Independent Record)
- What American families experienced is not something you get over (NYTimes Opinion)
- Biden calls for an unprecedented investment in education, including free preschool (The 19th)
- Idaho struggles with a lack of child care (Boise State Public Radio)
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