Montana, like all states, has a unique early childhood policy landscape that is shaped by economics, demographics, political history, coalitions, and other factors that create a state-specific environment for policy advocacy.
State early childhood policy progress is dependent both on the state’s environment and the numerous efforts—by the organizations listed on this page, other organizations, parents, policymakers, practitioners, and more—who work both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.
Research shows that family economic security is foundational to children’s overall wellbeing. Research also shows that widespread disparities in opportunity (especially by race) drive wide disparities in outcomes. States with policies that offer strong support to young children and their families are more likely to see 1) declining numbers of children in low-income households and 2) low racial disparity among those children.
Young Children in Low-Income Households: Declining.
Approximately 38 percent (39,000) of the state’s children 0-8 live in households below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (2022). This number represents a decrease from 43 percent (48,000) in 2017.1
Racial Disparity Among Young Children Living in Low-Income Households: High
Black, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native children aged 0-8 are significantly more likely to be living in households below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level than are Asian and non-Hispanic White children.2
State General Fund Appropriations: Growing
Montana’s governor signed the state’s general appropriations act for the fiscal 2026-2027 biennium in June of 2025, after making $31 million in line-item vetoes. the budget allocates $16.46 billion in total funds for the biennium, a 13.5 percent increase, or $1.96 billion, compared to the budget adopted in 2023. When including all appropriations bills, total spending for the biennium is $19.57 billion, a 0.7 percent increase over the previous biennium. The largest area of appropriations growth was general government, which grew by 92.4 percent, or $741.9 million. Total general fund expenditures are forecasted at $3.44 billion in fiscal 2026 (a 9.8 percent decrease from fiscal 2025) and $3.59 billion in fiscal 2027 (a 4.4 percent increase from fiscal 2026). General fund revenue for the biennium, after adjusting for legislative impact, is estimated at $3.50 billion in fiscal 2026 (a 7.1 percent increase from fiscal 2025) and $3.36 billion in fiscal 2027 (a 3.8 percent decrease from fiscal 2026). The general fund ending balance is estimated at $550.3 million in fiscal 2026 and $324.4 million in fiscal 2027, while the structural balance is estimated at $416.8 million in fiscal 2026 and $86.8 million in fiscal 2027.3
Largest Revenue Sources (after federal transfers):4
Montana does not levy a general sales tax.
State Budget Rules:4
Montana uses a biennial budget. The legislature must pass a balanced budget and is prohibited from carrying a deficit over into the following year. The state has no further tax and expenditure limits, and there are no debt limits on either authorized debt or debt service incurred by the state.
Permanent State Funding Stream Dedicated to Early Childhood: Yes
In 2025, Montana established the Montana Early Childhood Special Revenue Account with a $10-million appropriation (seed funding) that gains interest over time. The funds are available to be used to support various early childhood initiatives, guided by the Montana Early Childhood Strategic Plan and Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis and managed by a public/private board. The fund may also receive private donations to expand its impact.5
Political Alignment: Aligned Republican
During the legislative session, the state’s Senate and House were both Republican controlled. The state’s Governor was also a Republican.6
Types of Common Ballot Measures Available:7 Six
Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Organizations Include:
Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Multi-State Initiatives Include:8
Early childhood policy highlights include:9
Our lead ally in Montana, Zero to Five, is focused on improving access to quality early care and education, forging business partnerships to support working families, building cross-sector collaborations to better understand economic impacts and business needs, fostering community engagement, and promoting efforts and policies that support families. Their promise is to stabilize, innovate, and build the early childhood system so Montana families and communities can thrive.
Zero to Five Montana is working to advance early childhood policies in several areas that align with the Alliance’s birth-through-eight policy framework:
Child Care
Child Care Workforce
Preschool and Pre-K
Infant & Child Health
Home Visiting
Child Welfare
Click here for more information on advocates’ policy agenda.
After years of advocacy, Zero to Five Montana—along with other advocates, parents, and providers—has succeeded in passing a new early childhood endowment: the new Early Childhood Special Revenue Account.
NOTES:
1 Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, January, 2024.
2 National Center for Children in Poverty, Children Ages 0 through 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, October 2024, NCCP analysis of ACS 5-Year Estimates – Public Use Microdata Sample 2018-2022.
3 National Association of State Budget Officers, Proposed and Enacted Budgets, FY 2026.
4 Urban Institute, State Fiscal Briefs, April 2025.
5 Alliance for Early Success, State Examples of Dedicated Funding Streams, 2025
6 National Conference of State Legislatures, 2025 State & Legislative Partisan Composition, January 31, 2025.
7 Ballotpedia, Ballot Measures by State, Kids Count Data Center, 2025.
8 Alliance for Early Success, Multi-State Initiatives for Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, July, 2024.
9 Alliance for Early Success, State-Wide Advocacy Highlights Survey, April-October, 2025.
