State of Preschool
Montana
No Program
Montana does not currently operate a public preschool program which meets the definitions used in this report. However, when funding is available to advance the early childhood system, initiatives have impacted preschool age children.
The 2018-2019 program year marked the end of a $6 million STARS Preschool Pilot, which was Montana’s first state-funded preschool effort. Also, in 2018-2019, more than 1,300 children were provided with new or enhanced preschool slots under the state’s federal Preschool Development Grant (PDG).
Additionally, in December 2022, Montana was awarded a federal Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B–5) three-year renewal grant for $8 million annually. Utilizing $3.2 million of the funding in 2025, Montana offered early childhood professionals an opportunity to apply for mini grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 depending on program type and focus area. The funds are intended to lengthen child care hours, expand and/or to enhance services to infants and toddlers or children with special needs.
Montana
Access
|
| |
| Total state pre-K enrollment | 0 |
| School districts that offer state program | NA |
| Income requirement | NA |
| Minimum hours of operation | NA |
| Operating schedule | NA |
| Special education enrollment, ages 3 and 4 | 622 |
| Federally funded Head Start enrollment, ages 3 and 4 | 2,728 |
| State-funded Head Start enrollment, ages 3 and 4 | Not reported |
Resources
| Total state pre-K spending | $0 |
| Local match required? | NA |
| State Head Start spending | Not reported |
| State spending per child enrolled | $0 |
| All reported spending per child enrolled* | $0 |
*Pre-K programs may receive additional funds from federal or local sources that are not included in this figure. †Head Start per-child spending includes funding only for 3- and 4-year-olds. ‡K–12 expenditures include capital spending as well as current operating expenditures.