Inspection records · Montana
What Montana daycare inspectors cite
Montana inspectors cited at least one rule at 17% of the 800 daycares they visited since October 2023. The rule cited at the most daycares is about safe sleep for babies and toddlers, at 32 of them.
- Daycares visited
- 800
- Visits in the records
- 2,118
- Had at least one rule cited
- 17%
How it works
How daycare inspections work in Montana
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing, licenses daycare centers and family and group home daycares and inspects them. Most visits in its records are routine inspections, with some follow-up visits and complaint investigations.
Each finding names the Montana rule that was cited and the part of it that applies, such as sleeping, play area or fire safety. For details on what was found and how it was fixed, ask the daycare or the licensing office.
- Who inspects: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing.
- Routine visits: Montana reported inspecting licensed centers once a year (national survey of state licensing agencies, 2017).
- Visits in the records since October 2023: 1,904 inspections, 197 follow-up visits, 15 complaint investigations, 2 other visits, at 800 daycares (334 centers and 466 home daycares).
- Records on each listing go back to: 2018.
How common
How often inspectors cite a rule
- of the 800 daycares visited had at least one rule cited
- 17%
- cited rules for the middle daycare over three years
- 0
These figures describe Montana's own inspection records since October 2023. States write and cite their rules in different ways, so a figure here cannot be compared with another state's. A cited rule is one finding at one visit, not a rating of a daycare.
What gets cited
What Montana's cited rules are about
Share of the 428 rules cited since October 2023, sorted into plain groups.
Health, medication and illness rules and records rules are tied as the largest groups, each 17.8% of the rules Montana inspectors cited and each reaching 6% of the daycares visited. A records citation usually means attendance or enrollment paperwork was missing or incomplete.
Supervision rules come next at 14.7% of citations, then safety and hazards (13.1%) and building and play areas (12.4%). Safe sleep is 9.3% of citations, yet the safe sleep rule for babies and toddlers is the one cited at the most Montana daycares.
Most cited
The rule areas Montana cites most
Ordered by how many daycares had the rule cited since October 2023. The wording is the state's rule; no daycare is named here.
- Safe sleep32 daycares (4% of those visited)
Safe sleep for babies and toddlers
The state's rule: 37.95.1005 INFANT’S AND TODDLERS, SLEEPING (Sleeping)
Babies must be put to sleep on their backs on a firm, flat surface, with pillows, heavy blankets, bumper pads and soft toys kept out of the crib. A citation means an inspector found a sleep setup or practice that did not meet these rules.
Ask on a tour: Where will my baby sleep, and what is in the crib?
- Records and paperwork27 daycares (3.4% of those visited)
Complete records for every child
The state's rule: 37.95.141 CHILDREN’S RECORDS (Facility Records)
A daycare must keep a daily attendance record and a current list of every child with parents' names, addresses and phone numbers. A citation means part of that paperwork was missing or out of date.
Ask on a tour: How do you track who is here each day, and how do I update my contact details?
- Safety and hazards21 daycares (2.6% of those visited)
Fire safety in home daycares
The state's rule: 37.95.706 GROUP AND FAMILY DAY CARE HOMES, FIRE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS (Fire Safety)
Family and group home daycares need working smoke alarms on each floor and a fire extinguisher of the right type near the exits. A citation means an alarm or extinguisher was missing or did not meet the rule.
Ask on a tour: Where are your smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, and when were they last checked?
- Building, equipment and play areas20 daycares (2.5% of those visited)
Clean, safe play areas and equipment
The state's rule: 37.95.121 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS (Play Area)
Indoor and outdoor play areas must be clean and free of rubbish, and toys and play equipment sturdy, smooth and in good repair. A citation means the inspector found a hazard or broken equipment where children play.
Ask on a tour: Can I see the play areas and the equipment my child would use?
- Safety and hazards16 daycares (2% of those visited)
Safety hazards inside the building
The state's rule: 37.95.121 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS (Inside Facility)
Inside, cords and outlets must be protected, extension cords may not stand in for permanent wiring, and the poison control number must be posted by the phones. A citation means one of these safety rules was not met.
Ask on a tour: How do you check the rooms for electrical and other hazards?
- Supervision and ratios15 daycares (1.9% of those visited)
Supervising children at all times
The state's rule: 37.95.172 SUPERVISION AT ALL TIMES (Supervision)
Caregivers must supervise children at all times through active involvement or direct watching. A citation means an inspector found children who were not properly supervised.
Ask on a tour: How do staff keep track of every child at nap time, outdoors and at pick-up?
- Background checks14 daycares (1.8% of those visited)
Criminal background checks
The state's rule: 37.95.161 CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS (Registration/License Process)
Staff and other adults at the daycare must complete the background checks Montana requires as part of licensing. A citation means a check was missing, late or not on file.
Ask on a tour: Has every adult here, including anyone living in the home, cleared the state background check?
- Health, medication and illness14 daycares (1.8% of those visited)
Storing and giving medication safely
The state's rule: 37.95.182 DAY CARE FACILITIES: STORAGE AND ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION (Storage)
Medicines must be labeled with the child's name and instructions, kept in child-proof containers away from food and stored out of children's reach or locked. A citation means medicine was stored or labeled the wrong way.
Ask on a tour: Where do you keep medicine, and who gives it and logs it?
On the tour
What to ask when you visit
Safe sleep is the rule Montana cites at the most daycares, so if you have a baby, start there: ask to see where babies sleep, check that the crib is bare, and ask how often staff look in on sleeping children.
Then ask how the daycare keeps attendance and emergency contacts up to date, where medicines are kept and how staff watch every child outdoors. Ask the director about anything on the state record you want explained.
The full tour checklist for Montana puts these questions on one printable page.
On each listing
How to read a daycare's record
Each Montana listing on DaycarePal shows the state's visits for that daycare and the rules cited at each one, with the visit date. Many visits find nothing to cite: the middle Montana daycare had no cited rules over three years.
When a listing does show a citation, read which rule it was and how recent. A records citation from two years ago says less than a safe sleep or supervision finding at the last visit. If something worries you, ask on the tour what happened and what changed.
More detail: how to read a daycare inspection report. Find a daycare's record on its listing from daycares in Montana, or search the state's records.
Questions
Questions about Montana daycare inspections
How often are Montana daycares inspected?
Montana reported inspecting licensed centers and home daycares once a year in a 2017 national survey of state licensing agencies. Since October 2023, its records show 2,118 visits to 800 daycares.
How do I look up a Montana daycare's inspection report?
Open the daycare's listing on DaycarePal and go to its inspection section, or search the Montana child care licensing records by name or town.
Does a cited rule mean a daycare is unsafe?
No. A cited rule is one finding at one visit, and 17% of the Montana daycares inspectors visited had at least one. Look at which rule was cited and how recently.
What is the most common citation at Montana daycares?
Safe sleep for babies and toddlers, cited at 32 daycares since October 2023. Children's records came next, at 27 daycares, then fire safety in home daycares, at 21.
Are home daycares inspected in Montana?
Yes. Of the 800 daycares in Montana's visit records since October 2023, 466 are home daycares and 334 are centers.
Source: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing, inspection records October 2023 to October 2026, for the daycares listed on DaycarePal. Inspection schedule: National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations (ACF), from a 2017 survey of state licensing agencies.