Governor urges teachers, parents to support public preschool
HELENA — In his Head Start Day address at the Capitol on Friday, Gov. Steve Bullock asked parents and teachers to speak with legislators about the importance of funding early childhood education.
He said teacher and parents see how children benefit from early education and have the most power to encourage their elected officials to support state funded preschool programs. Montana is one of five states without it, although there’s significant opposition from Republicans who say the state can’t afford to fund the proposed programs.
The state received $30 million in federal grants from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to fund free preschool and Head Start, a federally supported program for children ages 3 to 5. Early Head Start serves children 0-3 in collaboration with local child care providers.
Another $10 million in federal funds will help expand the programs to additional communities in the state.
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