Skip to content
DaycarePal
Infant care

Infant Daycare in Montana

Most Montana daycares that take infants accept babies from 6 weeks or younger, by the ages on their state record. Full-time infant care at a center costs a median of $218 a week in the middle Montana county (2022).

daycares that take infants listed
655
towns
110
towns have their own infant daycare page
40
of all Montana daycares
56%

Map of Montana: each dot is a town with daycares that take infants, sized by how many are listed

Infant care
What puts a daycare on this listThe state record lists infants among the ages it serves, or it says it offers infant care.A daycare without this tag may still take infants; ask.

Infant care

Infant care in Montana: ages, costs and safe-sleep inspections

the most common youngest age on the state record in Montana
From birth
Of the 640 daycares here whose state record gives a starting age, 640 take babies from 6 weeks or younger and 640 from birth.
Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle Montana county (2022)
$218
The median of 56 county medians, from $197 in the lowest county to $254 in the highest.
of visited Montana infant programs had a safe-sleep rule cited since October 2023
5.4%
33 of the 613 Montana daycares that take infants and had a state visit. A citation means the inspector found a sleep rule not met on that visit, for example how or where babies nap. Each listing shows its own visits.
Staff-to-child ratios for babies in MontanaDaycare cost in Montana, by age and county

County prices: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022 (median full-time weekly price).

Montana

Largest towns for infant daycare in Montana

Billings113 take infantsMissoula67 take infantsGreat Falls46 take infantsButte43 take infantsHelena36 take infantsBozeman35 take infantsKalispell33 take infantsHavre17 take infantsBelgrade15 take infantsMiles City14 take infantsPolson10 take infantsAnaconda9 take infants

Programs

Programs in Montana

Counts come from the state record and what each daycare says it offers. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.

ProgramListed
All daycares1,163
Take infants655
Child care centers646
Accept subsidy38
In-home daycares517
Christian & church daycares46
Montessori schools68
Preschools & pre-K881
Early morning daycare72
Part-time daycare40
Drop-in daycare21
After-school care711
Head Start86

The Montana state record

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing licenses daycares in Montana.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
The ages on each license
Inspections
Every visit the state publishes back to 2018
Cited rules
Each cited rule, in the state's own wording
Search the Montana state records

Before you enroll

Choosing infant care in Montana

  1. 1

    Ask about the waitlist

    Infant spots fill first. Ask how long the waitlist is and whether you can join it before your baby is born.

  2. 2

    How many babies each caregiver has

    Ask how many infants one caregiver looks after, and whether the same caregiver is there each day.

  3. 3

    Safe sleep

    Ask where and how babies nap. Where the state publishes inspections, every visit with a sleep rule cited is on the listing's state record.

  4. 4

    Feeding and the daily log

    Ask how bottles and breast milk are handled, and how you will hear about feeds, naps and diapers each day.

Montana

Cost, inspections and ratios in Montana

Daycare cost in MontanaWeekly prices by age and countyWhat Montana inspectors citeThe rules cited most, and what they meanStaff-to-child ratios in MontanaHow many children each adult may care forTour checklist for MontanaQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 110 Montana towns with infant daycare, A to Z

A4 towns
B14 towns
C15 towns
D4 towns
E4 towns
F5 towns
G7 towns
H7 towns
J2 towns
K1 town
L6 towns
M5 towns
P6 towns
R4 towns
S10 towns
T5 towns
V2 towns
W9 towns

Nearby

Nearby states

Idaho69 take infantsNorth Dakota56 take infantsSouth Dakota43 take infantsWyoming34 take infants

Questions

Questions about infant daycare in Montana

How many daycares that take infants are in Montana?

655 daycares that take infants are listed in 110 Montana towns. A daycare without this tag may still take infants; ask.

Which Montana town has the most daycares that take infants?

Billings, with 113 listed. Next are Missoula (67) and Great Falls (46).

How much does infant daycare cost in Montana?

In the middle Montana county, full-time infant care at a center cost $218 a week in 2022 (U.S. Department of Labor). Each town page shows its own county.

What does a safe-sleep citation mean?

It means a state inspector found a sleep rule not met on a visit, for example a baby put down on their side, a crib with blankets or toys, or babies left without a check. Since October 2023, 5.4% of visited Montana infant programs had one cited. Open a listing to read its visits, and ask the daycare what it changed.

How young a baby do daycares in Montana take?

From birth or age 0 on the state record: all 640 daycares in Montana whose record gives a starting age list it that way. A daycare's own minimum can be older than its license allows, so ask.

Is there newborn daycare in Montana?

Yes. 640 daycares in Montana list ages starting at birth or age 0 on the state record. Ask each one the youngest age it takes now and whether it has an infant opening.

Who licenses daycares in Montana?

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing licenses daycares in Montana. It publishes its inspections and the rules it cited, and we copy them onto each listing.