FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: Nov. 16, 2023 Contact: Jon Ebelt, Communications Director, DPHHS, (406) 444-0936, (406) 461-3757, jebelt@mt.gov DPHHS Urges Providers to Monitor for Possible Cases of Lead Poisoning in Children Montanans advised to check their homes, discard recalled products Federal, state, and local officials are urging medical providers to be on the lookout for possible cases of lead poisoning in...
The Great Falls Transit District has begun the process of gathering information for our Transit Development Plan and is doing a community survey. The survey CLOSES on Friday, November 17th! As a community we need to hear from individuals, service providers and organizations input on how to grow and maintain our public transportation options. Please weigh in here...
Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning environmental education program designed for educators working with youth from pre-K to grade 12. For More Information To Register Registration Deadline: Tuesday January 16, 2024 When: Saturday, January 20, 2024 Time: 9:30 am to 3:00 pm Where: Fish, Wildlife & Parks — 4600 Giant Springs Rd, Great Falls MT 59405 Instructors: Christina Oppegard, MSU Extension Forestry Laura...
Families and Child Care Providers, Montana Advocates for Children is asking for your voice to be heard in the upcoming discussion on having the choice whether or not to enroll children who have medical or religious exemptions to immunizations. The administrative rules discussion and public comment begins at 11:45 a.m. Here is the meeting agenda: https://leg.mt.gov/content/Committees/Interim/2023-2024/Children-Families/CFHHS_Meetings/2023_Nov_16/CFHHS%20November%2016%20Agenda.pdf CFHHS: Nov....
Why Celebrate Brain Building? We celebrate Brain Building because: Children’s brains grow the most rapidly the first five years of life! 90% of brain growth happens before kindergarten, Parents are children’s first and most important teachers and Families have what it takes to be brain-builders! Celebrating Cultures and Traditions through Books Family Engagement Activities and Resources Child Care Aware ...
The University of Montana wants to hear from parents/guardians about how families are doing in Montana. The information will support improved programs and services for families across the state. Help us by completing a 10-minute survey. Survey Link: https://redcap.link/TitleVParentSurvey...
Read the Montana Early Childhood Project Newsletter ...
Click here for more information. February 9, 2024 9am to 1pm at the Malmstrom AFB Youth Center April 12, 2024 9am to 1pm at the Early Learning Family Center ...
TINY TRAINING WEBINAR SERIES Virtual Training, hosted online, micro-learning for business owners. Webinars are held every other Thursday from 1:30—2:00 PM. 16 November: Q&A with a Lawyer 30 November: Q&A with Human Resources 14 December: Q&A with a Licensor and an "R&R" MONTANA EARLY CHILDHOOD PROJECT CREDIT 2 hours of Montana Early Childhood Project credit is available for those who attend a...
The Early Childhood and Family Support Division (ECFSD) is seeking parents, guardians, and child care providers to participate in the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) Advisory Council. CCDF provides funding for early childhood activities in Montana. The state works to coordinate these early childhood activities, which include the child care assistance, child care licensing ,...
Please see the attached Proposed Notice with details regarding the Notice of Public Hearing on the Proposed Amendment In the matter of the adoption of NEW RULES I through XCVI and the repeal of ARM Title 37, chapter 95 pertaining to licensure of day care facilities. The Department of Public Health and Human Services will...
Montana Child Care Retention and Recruitment Child Care Assistance for Child Care Workers Are you a parent or guardian working in child care and need assistance paying for your own child/children’s care? A one-time only child care assistance program is available for eligible childcare employees through the Montana Bright Futures Birth to Five Grant (BF B-5). Applications...
Great Falls Public Schools invites members of the community to take their brief survey. The survey takes 2-3 minutes to complete. Answers remain anonymous. Information from the survey will be used to identify ways to improve communication and collaboration between Great Falls Public Schools and the community. Click here for more information and to take the...
A new childcare center is opening very soon in Fairfield. Eagle’s Nest Daycare, a childcare center owned by Mrs. Theresa Burgmaier. Read more here....
Click here for more information....
Program Information This 8-week course will help you better understand your child's emotions and how you can help them understand how to manage them, as well as how you can help develop your child's self-esteem. To register for the class or if you have questions, please reach out to Stacy Lemaster (406) 761- 9896....
The ARPA Health Care Worker Program will be ending on 09/30/2024. Please note the following: No new applications will be accepted after 9/30/2023. The last 12-month eligibility period available to families, 10/1/2023-09/30/2024. ...
Regional Child Care Providers Encouraged to Expand Services to Shelby, Montana Shelby Promoter – For publication August 9, 2023 In an effort to meet the growing demand for quality child care services in Shelby, Montana, local stakeholders are encouraging regional day care providers to consider expanding their operations to this vibrant community. With a range of compelling...
Early Childhood programs are designed to prepare students with the skills needed to be successful working with young children in infant/toddler and early childhood care settings. With three stackable degree options and evening classes, our graduates can move up the career and pay paths quickly while they are working. Graduates are prepared to: Know and understand young...
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally funded program of the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) is the State agency which administers the CACFP in Montana and ensures that program requirements are followed. The...
The Best Beginnings Scholarship is updating to align with the policies in House Bill 648. New Policies Effective 7/1/2023: Eligibility, Sliding Fee Scale & Monthly Copayment: Income eligibility increased from 150% of the Federal Poverty Level to 185% Monthly copayments are limited to a maximum of 9% of family monthly income based on household size. Child Care Program...
Early symptoms can last for 1 to 2 weeks and usually include: Runny or stuffed-up nose Low-grade fever (less than 100.4°F) Mild, occasional cough (babies do not do this) Apnea (life-threatening pauses in breathing) and cyanosis (turning blue or purple) in babies and young children. In its early stages, whooping cough appears to be nothing more...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Montana Medicaid wasn’t processing renewals. Montanans on Medicaid and Healthy Montana Kids didn’t have to worry about providing updated information to the Office of Public Assistance to keep their health care coverage. Now, Montana Medicaid has started to process renewals and will be reaching out to enrollees through the mail. Between April 2023...
ECSB will not be awarding incentives for the 60 hour Infant Toddler and MT Preschool Education Teacher courses after June 15, 2023 since those courses have been discontinued. If you took those classes within the past year and have not already submitted an application for payment, please submit your application under the Incentives and Awards tab...
Sesame Workshop, the producers of Sesame Street and other educational programs, is launching a new course called Building aConnected Community. The course is designed to help early childhood education providers build healthy relationships with children and families to support children’s social and emotional development. We are looking for early childhood sites interested in trying these resources and...
Raising Readers of Cascade County Announces: Dolly Parton Imagination Library Free Books available to all Cascade County children, birth to their 5th birthday. Great Falls, Montana, April 19, 2023: Through the generosity of First Lady Susan Gianforte and the First Spouse’s Treasure State Foundation, Raising Readers of Cascade County is pleased to announce that Dolly Parton’s Imagination...
If you’re eligible or already receive SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) and live in one of these Montana counties, you may qualify for up to 16 weeks of FREE to you job training! You can choose from lots of different in-person or online programs in a career field that interests you. The goal is to help you learn...
TAX HELP MONTANA (THM) Tax Help Montana (THM) is a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program made up of a coalition of community partners led by RDI, offering free tax preparation and filing services to seniors and low-moderate income families and individuals. A primary objective of the Tax Help...
Date: December 30, 2022 Re: Updates and Reminders Clarification regarding STARS incentives: STARS incentives are contingent on funding and legislative approval and therefore are subject to change. However, for the current STARS period (FY 2022-2023), STARS incentives are not changing nor are they going away. There may have been some misinformation provided and we want to reassure...
A HUGE shout out to those early care and education providers in Region 5 that renewed their commitment to the health and well-being of our community for renewing their Montana State Child Care license in December! We thank you for your dedication in ensuring the safe and healthy care of our youngest citizens and supporting...
The Affordable Connectivity Program was created by the FCC to help households struggling to pay for internet service. As part of that effort, the FCC is mobilizing people and organizations to help raise awareness about the ACP. Eligible households can enroll in the ACP through an approved provider or by visiting Affordable Connectivity To learn more about...
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is recognized as one of the most common causes of childhood illness. More specifically, RSV is the leading cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in U.S. children aged less than one year, and especially infants born prematurely. Each year in the United States, approximately 75,000 to 125,000 children aged <5 years are hospitalized...
DATE: October 31, 2022 AGENCY: Department of Public Health and Human Services Early Childhood & Family Support Division Childcare Licensing Program SUBJECT: Enforcement discretion regarding immunization requirements for licensed and registered childcare providers Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) 37.95.141 Montana Religious Freedom Restoration Act, §§ 27-33-101 through 105, MCA ACTION: Notice of Enforcement Discretion SUMMARY: This notification is to inform the...
CPR / First Aid Requirements for Child Care Licensing: Just a friendly reminder – when renewing your CPR/FA certification, you must complete a hands-on CPR component and your card must state “Pediatric First Aide” to be in compliance with Montana Child Care Licensing regulation and rule....
The Early Childhood Essentials class will be offered online only going forward. To enroll, visit ChildCareTraining.org, (or create a new account), and click on Course Catalog to view all available courses....
We are excited to share the Child Care Licensing Assessment with you! The Early Childhood Services Bureau (ECSB) is conducting a child care licensing improvement project to optimize licensing’s regulations, policies, processes, and data reporting. Thank you to everyone who participated in the assessment process! More than 700 child care owners and staff, parents, employers, partners, and...
As we approach Provider Appreciation Day® on May 6, 2022, Childcare Aware of America is highlighting how communities are honoring the contributions of their child care providers. An article written by Deb Huestis, an early childhood development specialist from Family Connections, was recently published on Childcare Aware of America's national blog on April 04, 2022,...
Please check out the new Child Tax Credit website for information on the expanded child tax credit. Even if a family did not earn enough to be required to file taxes, they are eligible for the CTC and potentially thousands of additional dollars in benefits. Many families received about half of their CTC in monthly payments...
Important: Infant Formula Recall DPHHS Urges Montanans to Check Cupboards for Recalled Infant Formula Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials announced today a voluntary recall of several specific products for infants and babies has been issued by Abbott, the maker of Similac formulas and other nutritional products, due to a concern over possible contamination...
One-time only child care assistance is available for certain healthcare employees through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Funding is limited and applications are processed on a first come first serve basis. NEW! See expanded list of qualifying jobs! More information and apply HERE ...
Fingerprinting locations for Region 5 counties of Cascade, Chouteau, Fergus, Glacier, Judith Basin, Liberty, Petroleum, Pondera, Teton and Toole; and Region 6 counties of Blaine, Daniels, Dawson, Garfield, Hill, McCone, Phillips, Prairie, Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Valley and Wibaux. Fingerprinting locations for all counties in Montana by county from the US National Background Information website....
The USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and/or improve essential community facilities, to purchase equipment, and to pay related project expenses. More information can be found here....
TO: MT Child Care Providers, MT Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, Child Care Licensing Program and Other Interested Parties FROM: Patty Butler, Early Childhood Services Bureau Chief SUBJECT: Child Care Licensing Rule changes DATE: December 16, 2021 On September 28, 2021 a proposed rule package was filed with Office of Legal Affairs. This rule package...
The Montana Office of Public Instruction is pleased to announce the Montana Afterschool Grant. The $3.8 million fund was designated by the Montana Legislature through House Bill 362. Leveraging the State's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funding, the Afterschool Grant is intended fulfill the afterschool plans articulated in the State’s ARP ESSER Plan to enhance and expand...
Licensed and Registered child care providers are eligible to apply for funding to stabilize their child care business. This includes support to maintain or resume offering child care services. Funds can be used for operating expenses like personnel costs, rent and utilities, health and safety training, facility maintenance, equipment and more. Providers could receive 80 - 100% of their operating expenses. Applications...
TO: MT Child Care Providers, MT Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, Child Care Licensing Program and Other Interested Parties FROM: Patty Butler, Early Childhood Services Bureau Chief SUBJECT: Child Care Licensing Program updates, Rule Change, Stabilization Grant DATE: September 29, 2021 There are rule changes and updates to share in the Child Care Licensing program now, and we...
