Montana Child Care Business Connect (MCCBC), a program of Zero to Five Montana, has selected communities from a pool of applicants to move

forward with the Community Capacity Building Cohort. The goal of this program is to engage communities in identifying solutions to increase the supply of high quality affordable licensed/ registered child care. This will be done through mobilizing community members and empowering the creation of community-based solutions (by preserving existing child care businesses and adding new child care slots).

Community participants will work to evaluate, enhance, establish, and expand existing and/or new registered/licensed child care programs. The program is free, thanks to a grant from Montana DPHHS. The following are the selected communities who will be making up this first cohort:

• Blackfeet Nation: to include Glacier and Pondera Counties

• Carbon County: Red Lodge Area

• Choteau: and surrounding areas

• Flathead County: to include Lakeside, Bigfork, Whitefish, Columbia Falls, and Kalispell

• Ravalli County: emphasis on Hamilton

• Toole County: including the city of Shelby

For more detailed information on each community selection and who are involved, please reach out to Community Navigator, Shelby Whelan - shelbyw@zerotofive.org.

“We firmly believe solutions to child care are rooted in communities," said Caitlin Jensen, Zero To Five Montana Executive Director. "We are excited to continue supporting community-led efforts through the launch of this cohort. Over the last three years, we have learned a lot about the challenges employers and community partners face when it comes to addressing child care. We’re here to provide support, in the form of tools and technical assistance, so communities can focus on establishing or expanding child care to address the needs of families and employers. Through community action and business support, we can boost the much-needed supply of registered/licensed child care facilities to meet the ever-growing demand across Montana."

The cohort will officially launch April 19, with an in-person event in Butte, Montana.

childcarebusinessconnect.com