Parking for Thursday Evening: The Summit begins at 4:00. You can use the Adams Center parking lot (LOT P on the map). The Passport app system is available to pay for short-term parking. If you are arriving at 5:00 or later, parking on campus is Free.
4/17 Friday Sessions: All Friday sessions will be held in the PJW College of Education, except for two held in adjacent buildings (signage will be displayed). Breakfast will begin at 8:00, and sessions will start promptly at 8:30.
4/18 Saturday Sessions: All Saturday sessions will take place in the PJW College of Education. Breakfast and registration will be available as early as 7:30 am. Sessions will begin at 8:15. Parking for Saturday Sessions: All parking is FREE. You may park anywhere on campus!
Travel: For those traveling from outside Missoula, book your hotel early! A limited number of discounted hotel rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown. You can use this link to book your rooms.Please usethe code ECE or call the hotel at 406-721-8550 and mention the code and ECE 4th Annual Summit.
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Poster Session and Display Zero to Five Montana is prioritizing supports and services to grow partnerships between public schools and private child care providers in response to emerging gaps in access, affordability, and alignment across the system. Strengthening alignment between these two critical sectors is essential to advancing a more sustainable system that meets the needs of children, families, and communities across Montana. Two of Zero to Five Montana’s pilar programs, (1) the Employer Sponsored Child Care Grants and (2) the emerging Public School & Private Program Partnership Cohort, have supported collaborative and community-driven approaches to expanding child care capacity, specifically in rural and frontier communities. These two programs have highlighted scalable and sustainable innovations emerging in schools, child care programs, and communities across the state. Through these initiatives, we continue to advance our mission to work for our children, for our future This poster illustrates how community-driven leadership and cross-sector system design can create sustainable, aligned early childhood supports that improve outcomes for children and families in rural communities. 1. Participants will be able to describe how integrating programs, partnerships, and community systems improves access, quality, and equity in early childhood services. 2. Participants will recognize the role of cross-sector partnerships—such as coalitions, shared services, and workforce initiatives—in addressing local early childhood challenges. 3. Participants will be able to explain how holistic, place-based programming supports children’s development and strengthens family resilience and community well-being.
