United Way and Bozeman staff showcase Child Connect and Kinside childcare-search platform

The Bozeman City Commission on Jan. 27 received a presentation from Greater Gallatin United Way on a new Child Connect initiative intended to improve childcare accessibility and affordability across the Gallatin Valley.

Director of Economic Development (Britt/Bridal Fontenot) introduced Tori Spruill, who described Child Connect’s first component, Kinside — an online childcare search platform launched in September 2025 that aggregates licensed provider information and real-time openings. Spruill said the platform increases transparency about provider hours, fees and openings and provides messaging and tour-scheduling tools that reduce administrative burdens for providers. She reported that 60% of providers had claimed their profiles and staff pulled data for the Commission packet showing 47 currently open slots across four counties in the region (Gallatin, Park, Madison and one other) and noted early user traffic metrics reported to the Commission packet.

Spruill framed the platform as a tool both for families and for local businesses that struggle to recruit and retain employees when childcare is unavailable. She described the Greater Gallatin United Way’s intermediary model for employer subsidies — where businesses route funds to the United Way, which administers eligibility and pays providers — and said updated federal tax incentives (45F, revised as of Jan. 2026) now provide a dollar-for-dollar tax benefit that can incentivize employer-supported childcare subsidies. Spruill said the program team aims to rebuild a gap-scholarship fund to address immediate affordability needs for families.

City staff and the Commission welcomed the partnership. The City Manager and Commissioners noted Kinside’s potential to provide data to inform local decisions and to connect families with existing slots; staff encouraged community engagement as providers continue to claim and update profiles.

Next steps: the Commission will accept follow-up briefings as the platform’s local provider participation and usage metrics evolve and as the United Way pursues employer-sponsorship outreach and scholarship-fund rebuilding.

Key on-the-record numbers from the presentation: HHS affordability benchmark (childcare = 7% or less of household income); Gallatin County childcare cost reported around 23–25% of household income; Kinside launched September 2025; 47 open slots reported in the packet (regional); updated 45F tax credit changes cited as of January 2026.