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The state of child care in Montana
A synthesis of everything Childcare Alerts tracks about Montana child care — scale, quality, compliance, ownership, access, and news — from public records. Figures describe the public data; they aren't a rating.
Who runs child care in Montana
How Montana's licensed providers break down by ownership — independent vs. the national chains, and the private-equity firms or public companies behind them.
■ Independent (97%) · ■ Government (2%) · ■ Nonprofit (1%) · ■ Family/Franchise (0%)
Largest chains here: Kids 'R' Kids (1)
Access
Counties with the fewest licensed providers in Montana — a rough map of where families have the least choice.
Prairie (1 provider) · Wheatland (1 provider) · Daniels (1 provider) · Mccone (1 provider) · Carter (1 provider) · Meagher (2 providers)
In the news
- Nebraska group launches Child Care Can campaign to address child care shortagesKHGI · 2026-08-25
- America’s Child Care Crisis Was a Political ChoiceDame Magazine · 2026-08-19
- What a new report reveals about Big Sky’s childcare crunchExplore Big Sky · 2026-08-17
- ‘More than we could’ve imagined’: Local child care program celebrates 30 years of supportBozeman Daily Chronicle · 2026-08-17
- 10-month-old Kentucky girl dies in car after grandmother forgot to drop her off at daycareNBC Montana · 2026-08-15
Childcare Alerts is an independent service that synthesizes public Montana child care records for education and research. It is not a rating or a safety verdict; the official state record always controls.