Community Child Care Capacity Building Cohort
Collaborating to uncover the root causes of our local child care challenges—and building lasting solutions together for the Greater Helena Area.
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For short, “The Cohort” is a program led by Zero to Five Montana’s Child Care Business Connect and is a year long process to help communities identify gaps, strengthen child care systems and build cross-sector solutions
Click here for an article from Zero to Five article about the launch of the Cohort.
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Local child care is in crisis: families, employers and providers all face challenges. Even if you do not currently use child care, it impacts the community and the ability for individuals to engage in our community.
This cohort will help bring together community partners and collect and share data about our local child care needs.
We want to build a shared responsibility around child care in our community.
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Timeline:
March - May 2025: Team formation & initial trainings
Summer/Fall 2025: Data collection through surveys
Fall 2025–Spring 2026: Ongoing trainings, community meetings, and action planning
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Take the Survey: Closed now
Community Conversations: Dates & locations are TBD.
Join the Effort: Interested in being part of the local team? Reach out to Maureen at mbjerke@sphealth.org or 406-461-4449
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Identify top focus areas for improving child care locally
Build a realistic action plan informed by community voices
Share findings openly. Reports will be posted on this page for transparency.
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Establishment of an early childhood coalition
Opening or expansion of a child care facility
Creation of a child care provider network
Media campaign around the child care workforce needs and opportunities
Comprehensive data reports on the needs of families, providers, and employees
Early childhood landscape navigation resources
Early care and education policy and advocacy initiatives
So much more!