It’s been a good week for child care in Jefferson County.
Discovery KidZone in Boulder officially opened its doors on Tuesday, May 2 and longtime educator and child care advocate Rochelle Hesford was hired as Jefferson Local Development Corporation’s new child care coordinator. In addition, House Bill 648 passed in the Montana legislature, making it possible for families in the slightly-higher-income bracket eligible for the state’s Best Beginning scholarship program.
“I think this scholarship is super important, especially here in Boulder considering our economic situation,” said Jefferson Local Development Corporation Executive Director Lindsay Graham.
“We want child care to be the best that it can be,” added Drew Dawson, president of Southwest Montana Youth Partners, the non-profit organization that is working to catalyze child care in the county. “And that’s not cheap. Gone are the days where just anybody can operate a child care facility. It’s expensive.”
Opening Discovery KidZone has been a long time coming for SMYP.
In 2021, they found a building and moved it to Boulder from Helena in the middle of the night during the holiday season. Then the mission was to find a provider. Discovery KidZone CEO Rachel Supalla’s bid was accepted “because of her extensive qualification in providing child care,” Dawson said. Supalla currently operates facilities throughout north Jefferson County and in Helena. But getting a child care provider was just half the battle, as more obstacles came to play. There were building code issues, and, then – as is the case for so many businesses – lack of staff delayed the grand opening. Instead, in April, Supalla hosted an open house, welcoming applicants for both employment and childcare.
Now such hardships are in the past, and Discovery KidZone is open, staffed and still accepting children for the program.
According to Graham – who previously held the position of child care coordinator and was instrumental in getting the new facility to Boulder – the weekly cost of enrollment at the new Discovery KidZone (owned by the City of Boulder and leased to SMYP, operated by Supalla and managed by Sarah Roddewig) is $240 for infants, $224 for one-year olds, $208 for two-year olds and $188 for three to five year olds. However, with the now-accessible Best Beginnings scholarship, qualified families will pay much less. How much depends on the gross family income.
According to Hesford, for a family of four, co-pays could be as little as $12 or as much as $486 for those with income at 150% of the federal poverty guidelines.
“It depends on the sliding fee scale,” Hesford said. “The grant is through the Montana Department of Health and Human Services and adheres to the federal poverty guidelines. The sliding fee scale for the co-pay is not to exceed 9% of an eligible family’s income.”
The first 12 families enrolled at Discovery KidZone (who don’t qualify for the Best Beginnings scholarship) receive 20% off their enrollment fees. Next to enroll receive 10% off.
In addition, Graham and others involved with SMYP are currently looking into “gap scholarships” for those who don’t quite qualify for Best Beginnings.
Hesford, an SMYP co-founder, said she’s grateful to take on the role Graham left vacant after she was promoted to JLDC executive director. Graham said the feeling is mutual.
“I’m excited for this transition,” Graham said. “At first I was a little hesitant letting go of the Child Care Coordinator position, but when I saw [Hesford’s] application pop up in my inbox, I felt relieved! [Hesford] has 18 years of experience working with the youth of Jefferson County, writing grants and diving deep into the philanthropic world. As a parent of two kids who attend her current program, I’m confident she will continue to develop quality programs for the youth of Jefferson county and beyond.”
Graham added that Hesford “is a huge asset to the JLDC team and we are excited for the future.”
Dawson agrees.
“[Hesford] is the perfect person to become the liaison between SMYP and Discovery Kidzone,” he said. “She has a lot of experience, communicates well, is very tenacious and has a history of getting things done.”
Hesford will start part-time as she continues work as the 21st Century program director, a position she’s held for the past 20 years.
As big part of Hesford’s job as child care coordinator will be to help manage child care connections throughout Jefferson County, including a childcare facility in the works in Whitehall. She will be in charge of grant writing and fundraising, skills she’s grown accustomed to in her position with 21st Century.
Hesford said she’s thrilled to have this opportunity and help offer affordable child care for the community. Discovery KidZone offers a great deal, she said, as the Boulder location charges 10% less than the Discovery KidZone standard rate, which amounts to a discount of approximately $60 a week, or $240 a month.
“This is a tribute to the hard work of the community in acquiring renovating and equipping the child care building,” said Dawson. “We really want every family – whether they are eligible for Best Beginnings or not – to have child care be affordable for them,” he said.
For more information, call Hesford at (406) 225-3164 or email Discovery KidZone manager Sarah Roddewig at sarah@discoverykidzone.com.
