“We elected to pursue this federal funding given our ongoing efforts to strengthen Montana’s early childhood system, including access to childcare,” Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said in the release. “It will support our continued work with stakeholders to identify and implement targeted strategies that meet the needs of the families we serve.”

The funds will also be used towards contracting with local providers for Crisis Child Care Centers to serve Montana families needing emergency care for children ages zero to 8. The centers will be used to serve families in crisis, such as those escaping domestic violence, impacted by a mental health or substance use crisis, or experiencing homelessness.

The program will also fund a pilot universal home visiting program to meet what the Department says is growing demand for expanded home visiting support. The visits will provide screening and referrals to early childhood and health supports for families in need including behavioral health and economic services.

Universal home visiting will complement the Department’s existing home visiting programs for children under the age of five and ensure families receive early short-term visits in the months following childbirth.

“Many families need support in those first few days and weeks following a birth,” administrator of the DPHHS Early Childhood and Family Support Division Tracy Moseman said in the release. “In addition, this is a time when some new mothers face financial and mental health challenges as they care for their newborn. This program will help serve as a bridge to connect new and expecting families to services.”

DPHHS anticipates the universal home visiting program and the crisis child centers will be two of approximately 10 other strategies to supplement the early childhood system, making up nearly 50% of the funding.

A quarter of the funds will be dedicated to addressing recruitment and retention of childcare workers in the state by expanding a program called Raise Montana Substitute Services, the release said. The program helps maintain staff-to-child ratios by recruiting, on-boarding, and mobilizing substitute childcare workers.

In addition, DPHHS intends to offer recruitment and retention mini-grants to licensed childcare providers across the state to stabilize their workforce as well as support their continuing education.

In collaboration with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, DPHHS also plans to expand apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs to supplement recruitment opportunities.

Finally, the remaining funding will provide for stakeholder engagement, additional developmental screening, data collection, tribal consultations, and an updated needs assessment and strategic plan to identify other needs of the early childcare system.

The announcement comes after Gov. Greg Gianforte signed Best Beginnings Scholarship fund expansion into law last week, a bill sponsored by Rep. Alice Buckley, D-Bozeman, which gives an estimated 700 families access to the program and caps co-pays at 9% on a sliding scale.

“Promoting the healthy growth and development of our young kids, Montana’s early childhood providers support hardworking families, strengthen our economy, and build a brighter future for our state,” Gianforte said in the release. “We’ll continue to invest in their success as they serve our kids, families, and communities.”