Preschools & Pre-K in Montana
Preschool and pre-K programs across Montana take children from about 3 until kindergarten. Full-time preschool-age care at a center costs a median of $195 a week in the middle Montana county (2022).
- preschools and pre-K programs listed
- 881
- towns
- 116
- towns have their own preschools and pre-K page
- 48
- of all Montana daycares
- 76%
Map of Montana: each dot is a town with preschools and pre-K programs, sized by how many are listed
Preschool and pre-K
What preschool costs in Montana
- Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Montana county (2022)
- $195
- The median of 56 county medians, from $176 in the lowest county to $227 in the highest.
Montana
Largest towns for preschools and pre-K in Montana
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.
| Program | Listed |
|---|---|
| All daycares | 1,163 |
| Take infants | 655 |
| Child care centers | 646 |
| Accept subsidy | 38 |
| In-home daycares | 517 |
| Christian & church daycares | 46 |
| Montessori schools | 68 |
| Preschools & pre-K | 881 |
| Early morning daycare | 72 |
| Part-time daycare | 40 |
| Drop-in daycare | 21 |
| After-school care | 711 |
| Head Start | 86 |
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
Before you enroll
Choosing a preschool or pre-K in Montana
- 1
Ask about the day
Ask how the day runs: free play, circle time, outdoor time and naps. Ask what children do to get ready for kindergarten.
- 2
Half day or full day
Many preschools run half days or school-year hours. If you work full time, ask about before- and after-care.
- 3
Ask about cost
Ask for the tuition, the registration fee and whether the state's pre-K or child care assistance can pay part of it.
- 4
Check the license record
Open a listing for its state license, the ages it serves and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.
Montana
Cost, inspections and ratios in Montana
A to Z
All 116 Montana towns with preschools and pre-K, A to Z
B14 towns
C15 towns
D4 towns
- Darby2 preschools
- Deer Lodge4 preschools
- Dillon10 preschools
- Dixon1 preschool
E4 towns
- East Helena6 preschools
- Ekalaka1 preschool
- Ennis3 preschools
- Eureka3 preschools
F5 towns
- Fairfield3 preschools
- Florence2 preschools
- Forsyth4 preschools
- Frenchtown6 preschools
- Fromberg1 preschool
G8 towns
- Gallatin Gateway1 preschool
- Gardiner1 preschool
- Geraldine1 preschool
- Geyser1 preschool
- Glasgow6 preschools
- Glendive8 preschools
- Grass Range1 preschool
- Great Falls58 preschools
H7 towns
K1 town
- Kalispell42 preschools
L8 towns
- Lakeside2 preschools
- Lambert1 preschool
- Laurel7 preschools
- Lewistown5 preschools
- Libby8 preschools
- Livingston7 preschools
- Lodge Grass1 preschool
- Lolo4 preschools
M5 towns
- Malta7 preschools
- Manhattan3 preschools
- Miles City16 preschools
- Missoula113 preschools
- Moore1 preschool
P6 towns
- Pablo4 preschools
- Philipsburg2 preschools
- Plains2 preschools
- Plentywood3 preschools
- Polson13 preschools
- Poplar1 preschool
S10 towns
- Seeley Lake1 preschool
- Shelby1 preschool
- Shepherd4 preschools
- Sheridan2 preschools
- Sidney7 preschools
- Somers1 preschool
- St Ignatius1 preschool
- Stanford1 preschool
- Stevensville8 preschools
- Superior3 preschools
T7 towns
- Terry1 preschool
- Thompson Falls2 preschools
- Three Forks2 preschools
- Townsend2 preschools
- Trego1 preschool
- Troy3 preschools
- Twin Bridges1 preschool
W9 towns
- West Yellowstone1 preschool
- Westby1 preschool
- White Sulphur Springs4 preschools
- Whitefish10 preschools
- Whitehall1 preschool
- Winifred1 preschool
- Winnett1 preschool
- Wolf Point1 preschool
- Worden1 preschool
No town on this list matches. Check the spelling, or search by ZIP code above.
Nearby
Nearby states
Questions
Questions about preschools and pre-K in Montana
How many preschools and pre-K programs are in Montana?
881 preschools and pre-K programs are listed in 116 Montana towns. A daycare without this tag may still run a preschool room; ask.
Which Montana town has the most preschools and pre-K programs?
Billings, with 140 listed. Next are Missoula (113) and Bozeman (63).
What is the difference between preschool and pre-K?
Pre-K is the year before kindergarten, usually for 4-year-olds, and many states fund free or low-cost pre-K. Preschool is the wider term for programs for children of about 3 to 5. Many daycares run both, and this list has both.
Is there free preschool near me?
Head Start is free for children 3 to 5 from families who qualify, and many school districts run free pre-K classes. School-district pre-K is often not on child care license lists, so check with your school district too.
What age is pre-K?
Pre-K is usually for children who turn 4 by a cutoff date in late summer or early fall, the year before kindergarten. Each state sets its own cutoff.
What is the difference between preschool and daycare?
A preschool teaches children of about 3 to 5 before kindergarten, often for part of the day. A daycare looks after children while parents work, often all day, and many daycares run a preschool room. This list has both: places whose state record serves preschool-age children, that offer pre-K on their own website, or that are named a preschool.
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.