2025 Legislative Session

2025 Policy Agenda

Prioritizing Montana families and children

 

The 2025 Legislative Session is an opportunity for our lawmakers to ensure Montana is the best place to live and raise a family. Elevating early childhood as a top priority is critical for building a stronger Montana.

By ensuring children in rural, urban and tribal communities across the state have access to safe and healthy early learning experiences and stable, nurturing environments, policymakers can help set the foundation for Montana’s kids to succeed. Strong systems are the basis for long-term sustainable change – every child in Montana deserves the chance to flourish, but not all children have access to the same early childhood supports.

Our 2025 policy agenda is a collaborative effort. During the summer of 2024, the Zero to Five Montana team traveled across the state to engage with communities and gather input on early childhood issues (See our 2024 Early Childhood Policy Roadshow Report.) Partners in nine communities, including Billings, Cut Bank, Great Falls, Helena, Livingston, Lodge Grass, Miles City, Polson, and Red Lodge, shared their experiences around issues affecting young children and families in their areas. This on-the-ground input – from families and early childhood professionals as well as community and state leaders – helped inform our 2025 policy agenda.

Together, we can help shape the decisions necessary to transform our state’s early childhood system.

Zero to Five Montana is dedicated to prioritizing the health and safety of children, guided by data and research. Our core mission focuses on serving all children in Montana, particularly those facing significant barriers to opportunity. By centering and amplifying the voices of those most impacted by policy decisions, we strive to cultivate a community-driven policy landscape that effectively supports families, small business, and communities.

GOOD TO KNOW

2025 Montana State Legislature Bill Tracker