A Siloed System Is not a System at All
The early childhood system in Montana often looks like a long hallway of doors—each one opening to a different organization, resource, or data set. Behind every door lies some piece of the system for families: one door may offer a unique insight, another specific service with a limited demographic focus, each offering a helpful but limited view of what families with young children need.
Now imagine a family trying to navigate that hallway. As a parent of children in early childhood, I can tell you that this can be a confusing and overwhelming process. As a provider, it can be disheartening to watch families struggle when their needs fall outside your service area, and you aren’t sure where to send them. Sometimes you simply don’t know what you don’t know.
Montanans interact with this siloed system every day, and the cost of that fragmentation is real. Children miss out on vital connections and services; meanwhile providers are doing their best with the resources available to them.
In short, a compartmentalized system doesn’t work.
Families Need a Village at Every Level
This is not news to anyone, but I will say it anyway; families need a village.
They need an interconnected network of resources, programs, and providers; people who may not meet every need themselves but understand the system well enough to help a family find the next right door.
Villages are often discussed at the local level, but their true power extends far beyond a single neighborhood or community. A village is needed at every systems level.
This why Montanans are coming together to form the first-ever statewide village for early childhood: The Montana Early Childhood Network.
The Network was created to coordinate and connect people, organizations, coalitions, and ideas, so every child and family in Montana is considered in the decisions that shape their future.
One Year In: A Growing Network
This month marks one year since the Network launched, and it has already grown to 120 members and counting.
Membership is free, and the Network is as diverse as the system it represents. Members engage in ways that align with their interests, experience and capacity, including:
- Online Networking platform accessed via app or website offers ongoing connection to members, complete with a directory, shared resource library, events calendar, virtual meeting spaces, collaborative news feed, and direct messaging features
- Monthly Coffee Connections – short, informal virtual gatherings to share resources and ask questions
- Quarterly collaborative meetings focused on learning, sharing, and statewide alignment
- In person gatherings – SAVE THE DATE for the first Network Convening June 22-23 at the Great Northern Hotel in Helena There is no single way to participate, just many ways to stay connected. The day-to-day interactions and connections in the Network are primarily found on the Mighty Networks platform. This is where members upload news, questions are posed and answered, and resources are shared.
Why a Network Matters
People often ask what the purpose of the Montana Early Childhood Network is. The answer is simple: the value of a network lies in its members and their connections.
Every connection strengthens the village serving Montana’s families. Every new member brings passion, skills, and resources that help move us away from a collection of siloed efforts and toward a unified system.
As the Network grows, the edges of our early childhood “map” expand. Providers gain clarity, and families become better equipped to connect their children to the resources they need most. We also hope that gaps surface, so that work is not duplicated, and we can invest wisely as a system in the right places to reduce burnout and build on what already works.
Not every provider or community needs every resource. Often, they just need to know where to send a family next. Montanans are resourceful and innovative, and the Network aims to build on those strengths so communities can shape solutions that best meet the needs of their own families while leveraging connections of statewide resources.
The Power of Systemic Change
A system, like a village, has interconnected parts that depend on and respond to one another. It learns, adapts, and becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
That is the hope of the Montana Early Childhood Network. That we build a true statewide system. Collaboration has the power to open doors and give Montana families a real chance to thrive through the collective efforts of a system working in their favor.
What’s Next
During its first year, the Network focused on building membership and engagement. The next phase is action.
The Network will help carry forward the Montana DPHHS Strategic Plan: Sustaining and Strengthening Montana’s Early Childhood System, developed through the Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five initiative. The Network will serve as a facilitator—bringing diverse voices together to align efforts, problem-solve, and take practical steps around the plan’s five foundational priorities.
A full schedule of these priority areas and related meetings is linked here.
Join the Village
If you’re ready to help break down the barriers that leave Montana families feeling lost and confused, we invite you to join us. Consider this an open invitation to join, whether you are a caregiver, provider, community leader, or organization you are welcome and needed in this work.
Together, we can build a true statewide village, one where early childhood is prioritized at every decision-making level, where families and providers know which door to open next.
👉 Join the Montana Early Childhood Network HERE
👉 For more information or questions about the Early Childhood Network please visit our webpage or reach out to melissaw@zerotofive.org
Zero to Five Montana serves as the host organization for the Montana Early Childhood Network
