In June 2025, the Montana State Legislature passed House Bill 924 with bipartisan support, establishing the Montana Growth and Opportunity Trust (GO Trust), a $930 million, four-year fund to manage and allocate state revenues for various initiatives, including a Montana Early Childhood Account. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) will determine how the funds are used and will create a board to oversee the program.
The legislation authorized a one-time transfer of $10 million to the Early Childhood Account, which will then receive 10% of the GO Trust’s interest earnings. In the second, third, and fourth years of the program, the Early Childhood Account is projected to receive $2.3 million, $2.8 million, and $3.2 million, respectively, from the GO Trust’s interest earnings. The account can also receive private donations. A newly created board, which includes state officials, representatives from state and local community organizations, child care providers, and a parent, will determine how to use the funds.
Funds from the Montana Early Childhood Account are expected to: help recruit and retain child care workers, support infants and children with special needs, and make child care more affordable by expanding child care subsidy programs. The fund may also be used to improve early learning environments, increase the accessibility of before- and after-school care, and offer emergency assistance and disaster relief for child care programs.
Sources:
Montana Budget & Policy Center. (2025, August 11). The Growth & Opportunity (GO) Trust: An Overview.
Zero to Five Montana. (2025, June). Montana Prioritizes Long-Term Investment in Early Childhood.
Montana House Bill 924. (2025).
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
High-quality, affordable early education and care supports children’s healthy development and allows families to work, engage in their own educational pursuits, and/or participate in other aspects of community life. To support children and families in these instrumental ways, research suggests there is a need to expand the availability of early education opportunities across the mixed-delivery system.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Families rely on a range of formal (e.g., Head Start, center-based care, public pre-K) and more informal (e.g., home-based, relative care) early education settings; when choosing a setting for their child, families balance many logistical constraints and personal preferences.
- But for many families – and especially low- and middle-income families – early education choices remain tightly constrained due to issues of affordability and supply.