State of Preschool
Montana
No Program
Montana does not currently operate a public preschool program that meets the definitions used in this report. However, when funding has been available to advance the early childhood system, initiatives have impacted preschool-age children.
In 2023, the Montana legislature passed the Early Literacy Targeted Intervention Act, which is designed to increase the number of students reading proficiently by third grade through early childhood interventions. The bill was expanded during the 2025 legislative session to include numeracy skills. In 2025, the state legislature allocated $12,732,256 for the early literacy and numeracy programs that serve children in public schools during the school year and/or the summer prior to Kindergarten entry. In 2024-2025, 2,025 students across 89 districts participated in school-year classroom-based programming, and 255 students across 20 districts participated in the summer Jumpstart program. Students are eligible to attend the programs based on their scores on an approved list of screening assessments. School districts select the screening tools and the threshold rate based on student abilities and district capacity.
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 extend child care hours and to expand and/or 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 | 786 |
| Federally funded Head Start enrollment, ages 3 and 4 | 2,670 |
| 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.