Published November 2, 2021

By Bob Pepalis  |  The Center Square

(The Center Square) – The $31 million in federal funding designated to help registered and licensed child care providers in Montana should help provide better wages and recover some of the losses caused by COVID-19, advocates say.

The Child Care Stabilization Grants provided through the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services will help child care providers for the next two years, Tori Sproles, executive director for Child Care Connections, told The Center Square. Funding comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

She hopes the additional attention on child care will help get approval for the American Families Plan proposed by President Joe Biden to assist child care with more federal funding.

Sproles thinks if additional help is not found, child care providers will “hit the cliff” with funding and then going back to where they were without the assistance.

“But I think in general, child care is kind of in the forefront of everyone’s mind. And support in the long run is actually coming back,” she said.

One of the biggest problems now is a workforce shortage. Programs can’t find people to work in child care… READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.