Do you need help finding quality child care?

• Take your time when selecting a child care provider

• Schedule a time to meet with a potential child care provider, ask plenty of questions to ensure that the provider you are meeting with will meet your family’s needs.  Here is a checklist to help you when choosing quality care.

• Look up the provider’s licensing history

• Visit Montana’s Licensed Provider Search and Inspection Results to review provider’s license history, license inspection reports and complaints.

•  Contact the Nurturing Center for assistance

• Using the child care referrals program and our knowledge of providers in Northwest Montana we are able to help you select a child care provider.

• There are multiple types of child care facilities available to meet you and your child’s/children’s needs.

• Family Child Care offers a home like setting for children.  A caregiver cares for up to six children at a time with no more than three children under the age of 2.

• Group Child Care offers a similar setting to a Family Child Care.  Two caregivers provide care for seven to twelve children, with a limit of six children under the age of 2.

• Child Care Center serves thirteen or more children with a staff-to-child ratio based on the age of the children.

• Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) is a more informal type of care.  Parent and legal guardians select an individual, often a family member, friend or neighbor, to care for all children in one family or up to two unrelated children.

• Montana’s Best Beginnings STARS to Quality Program is the quality rating improvement System [QRIS] for licensed and registered early childhood care and education settings in Montana.  This program is a voluntary 5-star quality rating improvement system, which uses research based standards to drive quality improvement in the early childhood care and education settings in Montana.  View a list of facilities in the Best Beginnings STARS to Quality Program.