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 Home is a private residence in which care is provided for 3-8 children on a regular basis and is considered Registered

• View required documents & Apply to become a Family provider OR apply online

• Group Home is a private residence or other structure in which care is provided for 9 to 15 children on a regular basis and is considered Registered

• View required documents & Apply to become a Group provider OR apply online

• Center is an out-of-home place in which care is provided to 16 or more children on a regular or irregular basis and is considered Licensed

• View required documents & Apply to become a Center OR apply online

• Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) is a Registered provider which may provide care in a child’s home or in the provider’s residence for a sibling group of any size or no more than 4 unrelated children

• Apply to be an FFN Provider

• Relative Care Exempt Provider is a provider that may care for either a sibling group of any size or no more than 2 children from separate households. “Relative care” means the child is the brother, sister, first cousin, nephew, niece, grandchild, or great grandchild of the person providing childcare and includes a child in a step, foster, or adoptive relationship. This provider type is considered ‘License Exempt’ and is for Best Beginnings Childcare Scholarship payment purposes only.

• Apply to become an RCE provider (Same Application as Friends, Family and Neighbor, FFN)

• 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.