Southwest Montana News

Governor Greg Gianforte, alongside Charlie Brereton, Director of the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), announced new proposals aimed at improving child care access in Montana. The announcement took place at the PFL Learning Center in Livingston.

“Complicated, burdensome rules shouldn’t prevent a family member or neighbor who’s providing child care from meeting a critical need in their community,” said Governor Gianforte. He emphasized that the proposed changes to child care licensing rules are intended to enhance safety, clarify provider obligations, and expand access across the state.

The proposed rules respond to feedback from providers and industry stakeholders who have called for significant reforms. “We heard loud and clear from stakeholders that the current rules and governance structure for child care were in need of a massive overhaul,” stated Brereton. He expressed commitment to advancing these reforms to support Montana families.

The DPHHS engaged over 700 diverse stakeholders during its review process through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and site visits. Carly Temyer, director of PFL Learning Center where the governor made his announcement, participated in this assessment process. “We look forward to reviewing the proposed rules and providing further feedback on them,” she remarked.

Among other measures, the new rules aim to increase child care capacity by allowing innovative pilot projects for testing new approaches. They also propose staffing requirement adjustments necessary for expanding Montana's child care system.

A notable change is introducing a new category called out-of-school-time care. This would enable organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs to become licensed providers eligible for federal funds if they offer non-school hour services for children aged six and up.

Rachel Wanderscheid from the Montana Afterschool Alliance praised this addition: “We are really grateful the school-age voice was included in the discussion.”

A public hearing on these proposals is scheduled for November 28 via Zoom with comments accepted until December 2 as part of finalizing these regulations.