Zero to Five Missoula County has been working to build collaborative child care solutions since 2019.
In 2022, Zero to Five Missoula and United Way of Missoula County was awarded a child care innovation grant from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to launch the Missoula Child Care Advantage network.
Missoula Child Care Advantage focuses on:
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Creating new child care slots (during the pilot phase)
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Securing investments in child care from multiple sectors
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Stabilizing the child care sector in our community
MCCA is a network of independent child care businesses that utilize shared services to streamline operations and improve their bottom line.
Companies in our area can pay a fee to MCCA and become Business Members in the network. Their employees then have preferred access to a Enrollment and Wait List Portal, which helps them find child care more quickly. Business membership fees mean shared services are free for participating providers.
The City of Missoula, Missoula County, and United Way of Missoula County, co-fund the position of MCCA coordinator through a public/private partnership.
The MCCA model will be piloted with 6 Participating Providers co-located at Cold Springs School.
The network will expand beyond the pilot location to a virtual network in the future.