Whitehall Daycare Project Receives $579,397 Grant from Montana DPHHS

Whitehall’s childcare project, spearheaded by Jefferson Local Development Corporation, has garnered a $579,397 grant from the Montana Department of Health and Human Services.

The Early Childhood and Family Support Division is partnering with 31 child care providers to develop and implement innovative community, area, region and/or business-based strategies which expand child care availability for Montana families.

This project is part of the larger continuum of support for the child care industry in Montana aimed at enhancing the availability, affordability, and accessibility of high-quality child care for children and families in Montana.

The funding targets areas with significant observed shortages of child care capacity, or child care deserts defined as any geographic area where child care supply meets less than a third of the potential demand, care during non-traditional hours, or increasing access for infants, toddlers and vulnerable populations.

The Whitehall Public School system has been working alongside JLDC to get this project going.

Hannah Nieskens, Superintendent of Whitehall Schools, explained that the DPHHS grant will not fund the stick structure building of the facility, but can do almost everything else, including finishing the inside of the structure, purchasing appliances, and the like.

“The need for a daycare facility is evident,” Lindsey Graham, JLDC Childcare Coordinator said at her presentation to the Whitehall Sustainability Committee, where she requested Barrick Golden Sunlight Mine to assist with additional funding.

The Whitehall community currently has three licensed programs, two providing childcare.

• The Headstart Classroom serves only children ages 3-5, part-time and partial year.

• A Group program with a capacity of 12-16 children. This program maintains a waitlist and has had families have to wait as long as two years before receiving a childcare spot.

• A Family Home program with a capacity of 6-8 children.

Current plans include the proposed facility being located next to the Whitehall Old Gymnasium on Main Street. A modular building designed for childcare, owned by the school district, would be constructed and the school district will draft an RFP for a childcare provider and select a provider.

• The proposed program would have space for 60+ children.

• The target would be children ages 0-5 and planning to serve up to 40 children on a regular basis with a minimum of 20% of full-time slots being designated for children ages 0-2 years old.

• The RFP and contract with the provider would require accepting the Best Beginnings Scholarships for low-income families and serving a minimum of 15% High Needs children as defined by the Montana STARS to Quality Program. The RFP will also require the provider to maintain full-time workday hours, as well as request the provider to consider non-traditional hours as well based on an assessment of family needs.

According to Nieskens, the facility hopes to break ground in the spring of 2023, with the facility open by the 2023-2024 school year.