A new nationwide report shows Montana is one of just six states that doesn’t have a preschool program.
States are spending more on early childhood education than ever before. That includes Montana, even though the state doesn’t have a traditional preschool program.
That’s according to the National Institute for Early Education Research. The nonprofit’s 2025 report indicates only Montana, Idaho, South Dakota, Wyoming, Indiana and New Hampshire lack state-funded preschool programs.
Montana has moved in that direction. State lawmakers in recent years approved new programs designed to help four-year-olds gain the basic reading and math skills needed to enter kindergarten.
But the National Institute for Early Education doesn’t consider such programs the same as full-fledged preschool, which is available to more kids. Just over a third of all four-year-olds nationwide are enrolled in preschool. The nonprofit estimates about 17% of Montana’s are participating in literacy programs.
