Letter to the editor: Gianforte sending Montana jobs to New York

The Gazette "A great loss to parents" about DPHHS awarding the contract for state-funded child care support services to a for-profit company in New York was very disturbing. The fall-out from the Gianforte Administration decision will be that Montana kids and families, Montana non-profits, their employees, and child-care providers will lose while Gianforte sends Montanans' taxpayer dollars to New York.

This is at least the third time this administration has decimated Montana non-profits and their clients by awarding contracts for vital services to out-of-state for-profit companies. Mental health and employment training services, compassionately and competently provided for years by community- based agencies and workers, have also been sent to the east coast.

Montana non-profits have provided these services in their communities for years. Their employees and their families live in and have established relationships in these communities. They support local businesses, their kids go to local schools. Many employees will lose their jobs and some agencies will close. Montana employers depend upon parents having child care; now the child care providers that depended on Montana non-profits will lose their support system. Families that need child care and depend on local non-profits to help them access it are having the rug torn out from under them. Gianforte is damaging the networks of people and relationships that Montana communities depend upon.

Shine Early Learning, the New York for-profit company getting the Montana contract, is owned by BlackRock Asset Management, the world's largest asset manager. Why is Gianforte sending Montana jobs and tax dollars to super-wealthy for- profit companies in New York?

Adela Awner,