The new Montana Early Childhood Special Revenue Account may be a lifeline for early-childhood education, which advocates in the state said could be affected by federal cuts.
Alex DuBois, policy and engagement director for the advocacy group Zero to Five Montana, said cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program coming down through the Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act will affect many children and families. She added recent temporary federal freezes on Head Start and after-school care funding added stress to communities and raised some alarms.
"It feels like a lot of things are shifting more to be the state's responsibility," DuBois observed. "Whether at the local community level or the state level, what can we advocate for?"
A Montana bill passed earlier this year created what DuBois explained is essentially a state trust fund, seeded with $10 million to support early childhood programs and a governor-appointed board to determine priorities for the fund, such as workforce development, quality improvements, affordability and innovation initiatives and emergency assistance.
DuBois emphasized as the fund grows, it will help support Montana children and families but she acknowledged the state relies heavily on federal funding.
"Of course, it's not a silver-bullet solution or the end all, be all, but it is a step in the right direction of getting local state investment into our early-childhood system," DuBois added.
For now, she stressed Zero to Five Montana is keeping its partners informed of federal policy and funding changes.
