Montana committee hears broad support for bill to boost childcare worker pay through $59 million program

HELENA — The House Health and Human Services Committee heard more than an hour of testimony Wednesday on House Bill 360, legislation sponsored by Representative Melissa Romano that would create a Child Care Workforce Recruitment and Retention Program to provide ongoing payments to licensed and registered child care facilities with the stated goal of raising wages and benefits for early childhood workers.

Romano, the bill sponsor, told the committee the program is intended to address a workforce crisis in Montana child care by supplementing provider revenue so programs can pay higher wages without pricing families out of care. "This bill proposes a program to distribute payments to licensed and registered childcare facilities in order to improve wages and benefits for childcare workers," Romano said, citing state figures showing provider shortages and turnover.

Why it matters: Multiple providers and parent witnesses said low pay and high turnover are forcing programs to close classrooms or operate below licensed capacity and are limiting…