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Governor Gianforte Visits Glasgow to Highlight Need for Child Care

Part of Montana Comeback Plan

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on June 24 toured Scottie Daycare Center to highlight the needs for childcare as parents rejoin the workforce following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The visit is part of Gianforte's ongoing Montana Comeback Plan, which partially focuses on getting Montanans back to work. Gianforte hopes to foster more well paying jobs, improve education and attract Montanans who have moved away back to the state.

"We are implementing the Montana Comeback Plan and that was part of getting the economy opened up, getting people back to work," Gianforte told The Courier during his visit. "Childcare is a component of that. People that don't have a place for the kids can't come back to work. That is why it is great to have a place like Scottie's Daycare right here in Glasgow."

Opening its doors in Glasgow in 1994, Scottie Daycare Center provides care to more than 30 children between the ages of 2 and 12.

During his visit, the governor read a book to children and sought input from providers and parents, while asking about the challenges they face.

"In talking with some of the moms and dads here, if they didn't have a resource like this they would be out of work, because kids are a full time job too. Many of our communities across the state don't have a resource like Scotttie's. Even here at Scottie's, they have a waiting list so they can't even serve the entire community."

The issue of adequate and accessible child care was present before the pandemic, but became even more evident over the past year," Gianforte said. "High-quality child care centers like Scottie Daycare serve hardworking Montana families, but for too long, we haven't had enough of them. Before the pandemic, there weren't enough providers, and wait lists were long. As a result of the pandemic, many providers were forced to close their doors, and wait lists grew even longer."

As Montanans get back to work, "we're focused on increasing access to quality child care services and addressing child care deserts throughout our state," Gianforte added. "There is more we can do, using the American Rescue Plan Funds, to make sure resources like this are available."

Last month, Gov. Gianforte announced the formation of the ARPA Health Advisory Commission which will recommend the spending of $112.5 million in federal funds to stabilize child care programs and supplement an existing federal block grant.

"The commission is focused on making sustainable investments in Montana's child care system, ensuring providers recover from the pandemic and laying the groundwork for a meaningful solution to address child care issues that Montana families have faced for too long," Gianforte said. "We are using some of the American Rescue Plan Funds, working with the legislators. We don't know exactly how that is going to come together, but this is an important part of our comeback."

 

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