THE CRITICAL NEED FOR CHILDCARE
Reliable child care is essential for families, employers, and the overall health of our communities. Across Southwest Montana, families consistently report that finding and affording quality child care is one of the biggest barriers to stability and employment.
Childcare Pressure Snapshot
HRDC’s Community Needs Assessment shows that childcare needs vary across Southwest Montana. In Gallatin and Park Counties, respondents identified similar top community needs, with affordable childcare ranking among the most pressing concerns. In Meagher County, the picture looks different as the population continues to age and fewer children live in the community.
Affordable childcare remains a top concern
Respondents in Gallatin and Park Counties reported the same top-five community-level needs, with only slight variation in the overall percentage distribution.
Community needs reflect local demographics
Meagher County ranked affordable childcare as the third lowest community need and placed a much higher priority on services that support older adults and seniors.
Age trends shape community priorities
Children under 18 have been declining in Meagher County for several years, while the number of residents age 55 and older has increased.
What Our Needs Assessment Adds
Childcare is both a family support and an economic foundation. When families can access reliable care, parents are better able to work, children benefit from early learning and stable routines, and employers have a more dependable workforce.
Reliable care supports household stability
Childcare helps parents maintain employment, manage work schedules, and keep household income more stable.
Early care supports healthy development
Quality early care supports learning, social development, school readiness, and long-term well-being.
Childcare access strengthens the workforce
When childcare is unavailable or unaffordable, parents may miss work, reduce hours, leave jobs, or be unable to accept employment.
Why Childcare Access Matters
We support families with young children through early childhood education, family support, and services that help households meet basic needs. This work is part of a broader effort to help children thrive and help parents maintain stability at home and at work.
Supporting children through Head Start
Our early childhood education classrooms support school readiness, healthy development, and family well-being for eligible children and families.
Learn about Head Start →Helping families meet basic needs
Food support, housing assistance, energy assistance, and other HRDC services help reduce pressure on household budgets.
Explore family supports →How HRDC Responds
Understanding childcare challenges requires looking at both local experiences and broader statewide trends. The resources below provide additional information on childcare affordability, workforce impacts, early childhood access, and demographic changes affecting families across Montana.
2024 Childcare in Montana Report
Explore statewide childcare data from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, including affordability trends, workforce impacts, childcare demand, and the economic role of childcare across Montana communities.
National Database of Childcare Prices
County-level childcare price data from the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau, including comparisons between childcare costs and household income.
Explore Data →Median Family Income and Childcare Costs
Explore federal data comparing median family income to childcare costs by age group and care setting, including how childcare affordability changes for families with infants, toddlers, and school-age children.
Explore Data →Explore the Data
Affordable childcare is essential for family stability, workforce participation, and healthy child development. Across Montana, many families struggle to find care that is available, affordable, and aligned with their work schedules. When childcare is out of reach, parents may reduce hours, leave the workforce, or face impossible tradeoffs between work, care, and other basic needs.
Young children may need care
In 2023, more than 46,000 Montana children under age six lived in working-parent households and potentially needed childcare.
Childcare is a major household expense
Montana households averaged $18,940 in childcare expenses for children under age five in 2023.
Care can consume a large share of income
Average childcare expenses for children under five represented 28% of Montana’s median household income.
Childcare affects local employers too
When families cannot access care, employers may see reduced availability, missed work, hiring challenges, and workforce instability.
