“Since Zero to Five’s inception, the program has supported businesses that provide more than 400 licensed childcare slots in the Helena region, which includes Helena, East Helena, Boulder and Townsend. This is about 18% of the region’s total capacity, according to Jason Nitschke, the nonprofit’s senior childcare business advisor.
Larch and other local providers, Executive Director Caitlin Jensen said, play a key role in communities and when one childcare facility closes, it has a ripple effect on children, parents, employers and other providers.”
“It’s always a little scary when you hear about closures because it happens,” Jensen said. “But we’re, in our organization, really actively working on how we can support sustainability and innovation and that stability and being able to run an operative program is just really important.”