Join the Community Childcare Conversation
 | Author:
Allison Kosto, MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent
MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent |
Join the Community Childcare Conversation
Allison Kosto
MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent
Did you know that Broadwater County is considered a childcare desert?! This is a designation for a community where the childcare supply meets less than a third of the potential demand. Recently, we had a local business expand to add a new childcare facility, the Preschool on Broadway. This is a wonderful addition to the community, and it has nearly doubled the current childcare capacity. However, a recent survey shows that there is still a major need for childcare especially for providers with expanded hours, summer care and infant services.
A local community group has been meeting since last summer to explore this issue and possible solutions. This diverse group of individuals includes parents, government officials, school administrators, and childcare providers. The group was selected to be part of a cohort through Zero to Five Montana’s Child Care Business Connect’s community childcare capacity-building program. This has opened the door to additional resources to allow the group to further its mission.
Recently, the group completed a family survey to assess current childcare use in the community and needs. A majority of survey respondents ranked the availability of childcare in Broadwater County as either very poor (54%) or poor (28%). Only 12% of respondents ranked Broadwater County fair or good for the availability of childcare. However, respondents did feel the quality of existing childcare providers was adequate with 36% ranking them as good or very good quality and 32% ranking them as fair.
The survey went further to look at the current needs. Of the survey respondents, 33.3% need full-time childcare for one or more children. However, 71.7% need care part-time care for half days, partial week or a combination. The survey also inquired about school-aged children which felt appropriate with the school’s transition to a 4-day school week. Of the survey respondents, 44.4% need after-school care, 43.2% need fifth-day care, and 64.4% need summer care.
Another key finding was that there is a major need for expanded hours. Of the survey respondents, 20% need care to start before 7:00 am and 42.2% need care to start before 8:00 am. Similar results were found for the end of the day with 42.2% of families needing to pick up their children at 6:00 pm or later. Currently, there are no childcare providers in Broadwater County that stay open this late or start before 7:30 am.
This is just a snapshot of the data from the survey. If you are interested in seeing the full survey results, please join the community childcare conversation at a public meeting on Thursday, February 8th at 6:00 pm at The Lodge of Townsend. Childcare and dinner are provided free of charge. All participants will be entered into a prize drawing for local gift cards. In addition to looking at the data, the purpose of the meeting is to gather community-driven ideas to form an action plan to increase the capacity of childcare in our community. This is a dynamic issue that not only affects families but also has a direct impact on local businesses for employee recruitment and retention.
As a working mother of three, I know firsthand the challenges of childcare in our community. However, I’m optimistic that we can find a solution. If you are interested in being involved with this effort, please contact me at MSU Extension in Broadwater County at 406-266-9242 or allison.kosto@montana.edu.
