Missoula, Montana’s Hellgate Elementary opens new on-site childcare facility for staff – It also has an Early Childhood Program for children ages 3-5 with special needs

The new program, Roo’s Rascals, was set to open Aug. 24 when students returned to school. The center was set to serve infants through 3-year-olds on the Hellgate campus.

For parents who worked at Hellgate, that meant a much shorter morning drop-off because they could go to work and bring their young children with them.

Dr. Molly Blakely, superintendent of Hellgate Elementary, said the district started talking about the idea about two years earlier and went to the school board midway through the last year.

“Child care obviously is hard to find. People get on waiting lists. Sometimes they get into the place of their first choice, sometimes they don’t. So we really started the conversation about two years ago, and then midway last year, we approached the school board and they were overwhelmingly in support,” said Blakely.

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Hellgate Elementary operates an Early Childhood Program for children ages 3-5 with special needs (located in Building 2). There is no charge for any child participating in the Early Childhood Program. All qualifying and participating children must live within the boundaries of Hellgate Elementary School District. Students qualify for the Early Childhood Program through the Special Education evaluation process.

If you are interested in learning about the process for a child to qualify to attend our Preschool program please call Brendan Brown, Director of Special Education at 406-532-4032 or Julia McCarthy-McLaverty, K-1 Principal at 406-532-2060.