Support the work of Family Connections Montana
While state and federal grants cover the direct scholarship dollars, they do not fund the critical gaps.
Your support helps children, families, and child care providers thrive.
Why this work is urgent right now.
The window for a child does not reopen.
Eighty percent of a child's brain develops by age three. Ninety percent by age five. What happens in those years shapes the adult they become.
Child care now costs what a mortgage costs.
Families who never expected to need help are applying and being denied. Parents turn down raises because a $2,000 increase does not cover an $11,000 child care bill.
Montana has a child care desert.
Some counties have no licensed care at all. Some parents drive an hour each direction. Some stagger shifts. Some leave the workforce entirely.
And demand has doubled.
Our caseload more than doubled in a single year. Seventeen people now serve 33 counties under strict timelines and delayed state payment turnarounds.
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What a year of this work looks like
33
counties served, including 7 Tribal Nations
5,430
children received scholarships
2,000+
Families per month — double the year before
406
Providers supported, serving up to 9,723 children
16,172
inquiries answered
4,000
resource guides distributed
What your gift funds
Children in foster care.
Child care assistance for children in CPS and foster placements.
Quality early education.
Access to high-quality care that builds a foundation for future success.
Free referrals
Information and provider lists for any family who calls, regardless of income.
Provider support
Resources, free marketing, financial assistance, and education for child care programs.
Ready resources.
Emergency supplies and early literacy books for families in crisis.
The community resource guide.
Created, published, and distributed across the region.
Working parents.
Financial assistance that lets parents work knowing their child is safe.
Montana employers.
Reduced absenteeism, higher work participation, stronger local economies.
<0.1%
of our budget goes to fundraising and administration. Nearly every dollar entrusted to us goes directly into program delivery.
Every dollar stays in Montana.
The board. The administrator. The staff. The volunteers. Your gift benefits the state of Montana, not out-of-state interests.
Make your gift
Secure online giving. Every gift is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
THE MONTANA WE'RE WORKING TOWARD
A Montana where every child has access to quality early childhood care, and no parent has to choose between a paycheck and their child's development.
Family stories
Family stories
“
"In 2024, I went through temporary homelessness. I work full-time and had a 3-month-old so I needed child care so I could work. The struggle is real when you still have to pay over $1200 a month, plus provide for your children. That is when this scholarship saved me. I was able to save enough to get my own place, take care of my baby. The staff at Family Connections are amazing people. Everybody is so caring and more than willing to help families that are struggling."
- Deb, scholarship recipient
“
"With Family Connections I have been able to work and go to college. I graduate from the Licensed Addiction Counseling Program from MSU-Great Falls in May 2024! Family Connections made my dreams a possibility!"
- Scholarship recipient
“
"We have truly been blessed to have this opportunity and support. Kelsea and I would not be in the stable position we are today without the generosity and help from everyone at Family Connections. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for everything you have provided us over the past 10 years."
- Scholarship recipient
“
"Awesome, I probably said this a million times already but you're AMAZING!!! Out of all of the programs I've worked with, you've been top tier."
- Scholarship recipient
Support the Foundation of Montana's Future.
While state and federal grants cover the direct scholarship dollars, they do not fund the critical gaps. Your support helps children, families, and child care providers thrive.
