Join the YWCA of Great Falls and the Great Falls Public Library in celebrating Juneteenth on Saturday June 17th from 1pm-4pm at Gibson Park. There will be FREE family friendly activities such as live music, games, food, and stories. Event Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023 - 1:00pm to 4:00pm Where: Gibson Park Bandshell | 400 Park Drive N, Great Falls,...
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Montana Child Care Connect & First Children's Finance would like to share their Business Training Calendar with Center Directors and Family/Group Providers. Register through ECP at the links on the Business Training Calendar flyer to receive training hours. For more information please contact: rhondas@zerotofive.org...
SAVE THE DATE! Your Pre-Kindergartner is invited to be part of a fun and educational program designed to introduce a variety of safety concepts to children. Dates/Times Session 1: June 12-23 / 9:00 am - Noon Session 2: June 12-23 / 1:00 - 4:00pm Location Skyline Early Learning Family Center 3300 3rd Street NE Great Falls, MT 59404 More Information Register...
Great Falls Public Schools is offering free summer meals to children 18 and younger. No application or registration is required. Meals will be served Monday — Friday from June 7, 2023 to August 10, 2023. There will be no service July 3 & 4. Click here for a list of schools and times....
Early this spring United Way of Cascade County and Family Connections sent out a Capacity Building survey. Workforce development and capacity building are key pieces of the Education Initiative and the data and responses provided valuable information on the workforce climate and how we should proceed and move forward with this aspect of the program. We...
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...
How Does Kids Bowl Free Work? More than 1,500 bowling centers around the globe provide 2 FREE Games of bowling each day to kids during the Spring and Summer. This program is designed by bowling centers to give back to the community and provide a safe, secure, and fun way for kids to spend time this...
Summit Information When: June 14 & 15, 2023* Where: Salish Kootenai College - Pablo, MT Cost: FREE !! *****DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS MAY 31!!***** * A Meet & Greet with light hors d'oeuvres will take place at the KwaTaqNuk Resort & Casino (TBD) the evening before on June 13th, 6:00-8:00pm. Sponsors: Salish Kootenai College, National AI/AN Head Start Collaboration Office (NAIANHSCO), Montana Early Childhood Services...
During the last few days of the 2023 legislative session, House Bill 648 passed the Montana Legislature! The bill will soon be transmitted to the Governor to be signed into law or vetoed. Thank you for all you did to share your stories and support this bill thus far! Your messages and support made such a big difference. HB 648 would lower...
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...
Calling all providers, please participate in the Provider Market Rate Survey by clicking the appropriate link below. Centers: https://montana.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_blz1McJTLyKOAPc [montana.qualtrics.com] Homes: https://montana.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8JsE97a9pLbHUxM [montana.qualtrics.com]...
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...
Are you looking for a summer job? Do you like working with kids? Become a substitute! All of the training is provided as well as telehealth services. Set your own schedule and work as little or as much as you want. To learn more about becoming a substitute, check out https://www.raisemt.org/substituteservice Here are the links to our posts,...
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....
CDL Informational Sessions Great Falls College MSU Continuing Education & Training 2100 16th Avenue South, Room G45/46 (Park in the south parking lot and enter Door 6) Dates: February 13, March 13, April 10, May 8, June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11, October 9, December 11 Times: 10:00 am or 5:30 pm Click here for flier....
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...
FFY23 National Child Passenger Safety Technician CertificationTraining Dates and Locations Provided through a partnership with the Montana Department of Transportation To Register: Go to http://cert.safekids.org Click on “Become a Tech”, set up an online profile and follow the instructions.The $95 registration fee includes your first two years of certification Who should attend? Parents & Caregivers Car Dealerships/Businesses Teachers Childcare Providers Firefighters Head Start Personnel Law Enforcement Health...
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...
Montana DPHHS ECSB has announced that the temporary COVID-19 payment policies will end on 12/31/22 and regular scholarship payment policies will be back in effect on 1/1/23. View more information here....
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...
Region 5 & 6 Child Care Providers, Beginning September 2022 and for all future training calendars, Family Connections will be sending the quarterly training calendars directly to you through email. This will allow you to receive the calendars in a quicker and more convenient way. These calendars along with other great information and helpful tips will be...
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...
Interested in a free and private parenting coach to help you navigate parenting challenges? As Montana parents, we want the same things for our kids. We want them to be confident, respectful, and make healthy choices. As our kids grow up, there are always new challenges. Figuring out how to handle them doesn’t come easy. There are...
One of the major issues facing child care and education is the shortage of quality staff and the high rate of staff turnover. The Montana Early Care and Education Job Board is a central place where program owners can post job openings and staff can find employment opportunities. Currently, providers post their job openings on...
Dear early childhood stakeholder, The draft Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Plan for Montana will be available for public review and comment beginning this Friday, April 23rd. This Plan describes the Child Care and Development Fund program to be administered by Montana from October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2024. The Montana Early Childhood Services...
Do you need more information about help available to child care programs and providers? The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recently published a document on February 2021 titled: Navigating Relief - An Overview of the Help that may be Available for Child Care Programs & Providers. This document is designed to help child care center...
The Provider Portal User Guide is located on the Provider Portal Login screen. This is where providers can find instructions on how to sign in (Page 4-5 of 55), request a new password (Page 6-7 of 55), and content in the Provider Portal (Table of Contents, Page 2 of 55). Tips: • The User ID is the person’s...
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to consumers and health care providers about hand sanitizer products that are labeled as containing ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination. Methanol (i.e., methyl alcohol or wood alcohol) is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through...
Your ability to recover from an emergency tomorrow may depend on the planning and preparation you d today. Click here to learn tips which all individuals and families, and the people who assist and support persons with disabilities, children and others with access and functional needs, can take to prepare for emergencies before they happen....
