Some Summer Updates

• Zero to Five Montana is so honored to have been presented with Snowy Mountain Development’s “Partner of the Year” award along with the Central Montana Child Care Alliance in June. The work of the Central Montana Childcare Alliance is visionary, collaborative, and inspiring – they are leaders when it comes to looking at an issue, seeing what exists, and building out a solution that works for the community. What started out as our business capacity work has now evolved into our statewide Montana Child Care Business Connect program thanks to strong partnerships like the one we have with Snowy Mountain Development. Thank you!
   
• Our executive director, Caitlin Jensen, and program director, Rhonda Schwenke, as part of the National Child Care Task Force, represented Zero to Five Montana at the National Child Care Summit in Washington DC in June. Leaders in advocacy, philanthropy, government, and policy came together from across the country to share a commitment to investment, innovation, and private-public partnerships. Thank you Bipartisan Policy Center and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation for including us in your mix of 14 states to be a part of the National Child Care Task Force!
   
• The Zero to Five Montana team is criss-crossing the state this summer engaging in community-level conversations about early childhood. We’re talking to child care providers, family advocates, parents, business owners and others engaged in working toward positive outcomes for children and families. There is so much to be proud of in the way our communities serve young kiddos – but the truth is, there is a lot of work to be done and not a lot of funding to support the work. We’re facilitating this “road show” to help inform our policy agenda and advocacy efforts for the 2025 Montana Legislative Session. HUGE thanks to our local partners and early childhood coalitions for helping us make these conversations happen!
   
• Zero to Five Montana Policy & Engagement Director Alex Dubois and Executive Director Caitlin Jensen traveled to Washington DC in July to continue building partnerships with our Montana delegation through our partnership with the Alliance for Early Success. Alex and Caitlin spoke with our federal delegation about what is happening in Montana related to early childhood, and learned about federal legislation that could have big impacts on families through an expanded child and dependent care tax credit, and child care provider wage supplements that could help to support the child care workforce. 
   

Join the Montana Early Childhood Network!

To increase coordination and build collective impact, Montanans working to improve the early childhood system in our state are uniting to form the Montana Early Childhood Network to ensure young children and families in Montana are prioritized in decision-making at all levels. Individuals, organizations, and coalitions who care about a robust and supported early childhood system in Montana are invited to join the network! 

PARTNER EVENTS

The Montana Office of Public Instruction is offering a Virtual Early Literacy Learning Series kicking off on Aug. 14 at 3 p.m. with a 2-hour virtual event focused on Getting Set for Success: Montana’s Early Learning Developmental Domains and Content Standards & Setting up your Classroom with a Focus on Literacy. This series is designed to support those implementing Early Literacy Targeted Intervention Classroom Programs AND any educator wishing to strengthen their P-3^rd Grade Early Literacy knowledge. 

 Information and Registration
 

Reintroducing: Family Forward Montana!

The Family Forward Montana initiative, re-launched by Zero to Five Montana at the Montana Child Care Business Connect Summit, is built on the knowledge that families and businesses thrive when they support their employees in achieving a harmonious work-life balance.

This initiative offers practical tools, strategic guidance, and a forum for collaboration among Montana businesses eager to enhance their workplace culture to illustrate that investing in family-friendly policies not only enriches the lives of employees but also bolsters business outcomes through increased recruitment, retention, satisfaction, and overall productivity.

Family Forward Montana is founded on the principle that the well-being of employees and their families is integral to the success of businesses and Montana’s economy. By empowering employers across the state with resources, guidance, and a supportive community focused on implementing family-friendly workplace policies, we move toward a more sustainable future for Montana.

Why Employers Should Participate:

Participation in Family Forward Montana places businesses at the forefront of a growing movement towards more inclusive, supportive, and flexible workplace environments. Benefits include access to customized resources, networking with like-minded business leaders, and the opportunity to be recognized as a pioneer in fostering family-forward practices in the Montana business community.

2024 Summit in the books!

That's a wrap on the second annual Montana Child Care Business Connect Summit! We extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every attendee who joined us. Your presence underscored the importance of our shared mission and your commitment to the well-being of children and families across Montana. We are especially grateful to our speakers, whose expertise and passion inspired us. Additionally, our exhibitors deserve a special mention for their work to revolutionize child care practices and support our collective community goals.

Summit Highlights

This year’s summit was marked by several key moments that we believe will shape the future of child care in Montana:

• Innovative Solutions Panel: Discussions centered around groundbreaking strategies for overcoming staffing and facility challenges, setting a course for sustainable growth and quality improvement in our child care services.
• Workforce Development Workshops: Sessions provided actionable insights into creating supportive, rewarding work environments for child care professionals, ensuring their skills, well-being, and career growth are prioritized.
• Community Partnership Breakouts: These sessions illuminated the power of collaborative efforts, showcasing success stories and forging new alliances between child care providers, local businesses, individuals and government entities—underscoring the fact that it truly takes a village.
• Policy and Advocacy Discussion: This discussion covered the basics of the legislative process and the importance and impact of advocacy in making a difference for young children & families in Montana.

Looking Forward

Inspired by the collective wisdom and enthusiasm at the summit, Zero to Five Montana is more committed than ever to championing the cause of quality child care. We understand the journey ahead is a collaborative endeavor that requires ongoing dialogue, support, and innovation. We are excited to continue working alongside each of you as we strive for a brighter future for Montana.

Thank you all for making the 2024 Montana Child Care Business Connect Summit not just a success, but a beacon of hope and progress! Stay tuned for upcoming initiatives, events, and resources as we build on the momentum generated together.

Second Community Capacity Building Cohort & Mentorship Cohorts Wrap Up

On August 6, eight communities gathered to wrap up their participation in the Community Capacity Building Cohort. They discussed how to build a sense of belonging and the direct linkage to community resilience. They also spent time celebrating the wins each group experienced in the last year and discussed future goals and directions. (Pictured below)

Check out what these communities will be focused on moving forward:

Anaconda-Deer Lodge: Increasing educational opportunities for all staff at child care programs.

Big Horn County: Developing an early childhood career campaign and conducting an employee needs assessment.

Broadwater County: Serving as a liaison to raise awareness of child care needs, impacts, and will assist providers new and existing.

Cascade County: Increasing accessible education that address the needs of the neuro-diverse and special needs community and raise awareness of individuals with neuro-diversity and developmental needs.

Jefferson County: Conducting a provider survey to better understand what it’s like to be a child care provider in the area.

Lincoln County: Creating a comprehensive report that can better inform decision makers about local child care needs.

Sanders County: Working with new partners and service providers to assist the local hospital in developing a solution to their child care needs.

Yellowstone County: Hosting a meeting to learn about the Child Tax Credits for employers, policy and advocacy, and highlight key priorities for the coming Montana Legislative Session.

Five protégés completed their final of eight comprehensive business trainings, on August 6, for our Business Accelerator Mentorship Cohort. (Pictured below)

These providers worked closely with a mentor that aided them in navigating all the obstacles one experiences in opening and running a child care business. 

Congratulations to all of our cohort participants!

Leaders Revitalizing Recruitment & Retention
Cohort Launches

In June, the Leaders Revitalizing Recruitment and Retention Cohort kicked off. Funded by the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), this initiative brings together 30 leaders from 23 child care programs statewide. As a key part of a broader effort to support the early childhood workforce, this structured cohort aims to foster collaboration and innovation.

With support from Zero to Five Workforce Business Consultant, Beth Branam, participants will develop, implement, and refine effective strategies for recruiting and retaining staff. The successful approaches generated through this cohort will help shape statewide strategies, strengthening the entire early childhood workforce.

EDUCATION & EVENTS

Choteau Youth Alliance Case Study Published

We are thrilled to share the story of the Choteau Youth Alliance and their work to start a new child care facility in their community, increase child care availability, create jobs and make connections.

Check it out via the link below and stay tuned for more case studies in the coming months!

Recorded Webinars Available

Missed a Tiny Training webinar? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to access past recordings. Or, visit childcarebusinessconnect.com. 

MCCBC is now offering courses through www.ChildCareTraining.org!

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.

Employee Recruitment and Retention

This class will teach how to hire the right fit by using the 8 best practices in selecting new employees, as well as learn why company culture, including your mission, vision, and values, is key for retention.

This course can be taken at any time and is free of charge. Two hours ECP credit is available.

In the News 

Zero to Five in the news!

• Child care providers talk affordability, accessibility, and the future of the industry in MT (Helena Independent Record)
• Montana child care advocates say access is out of reach for many (Montana Public Radio)
• Child care challenges continue in Montana (KTVH)
• How insurance is affecting the cost of child care (NPR News - Indicator Podcast - featuring our executive director, Caitlin Jensen!)
   

Early childhood headlines:

• 95% of US child care workers are women, and they are nearly the worst paid in the country (Equities.com)
• Early childhood education is a necessity; we must work together to bring it to every child (Aol)
• We reviewed 1,200 studies to understand how childhood shapes the leaders we are today. Here's what we found. (Fortune)