Miles City finds progressive way to attract teachers: an in-district daycare

MILES CITY - Elementary school teacher Miranda Stevens is living out her dream job as a teacher at the same elementary school she attended years ago.

"It's something that I've wanted to do since I was in first grade," she said.

But as if that wasn't enough, she's also landed the perfect childcare situation for her 10-month-old, Cohen.

"Cohen is so fun. He's so energetic," said Stevens. "I knew I wanted to be over here, because of my son."

Montana school districts continue to confront teacher shortages, prompting many to look for progressive ways to attract educators.

And it's happening at a time when 77 percent of public school teachers are women, so that's exactly where the Miles City Unified School District decided to start.

A few years ago, the district established an in-district daycare to keep critical positions filled and parents, especially new moms such as Stevens, close to their babies.

So far, the daycare accommodates as many as 15 children whose parents are district-only employees, including teachers, para-educators, and support staff.

"I can just pop in and see him interact with the other kids. It's just so much fun," said Stevens.

The district is one of less than 10 in the state that offers employees an in-district daycare.

It's licensed by the state, with competitive rates paid by parents, not the district.

Superintendent Meghan Brown says the idea is a game changer for retaining qualified educators.

"That helped us fill two long-term sub roles last year," she said. "It's just necessary as we continue to struggle with shortages, not just in Montana, but also all over the education world."

The Montana Department of Health and Human Services reports that 59 percent of Montana counties are considered childcare deserts, meaning the supply meets less than a third of estimated demand.

Erin Landrum, the principal at Highland Park Elementary School, where the in-district daycare is located, knows the scenario all too well.

"When I moved here six years ago, I had a four-year-old little girl and I could not find daycare for her," said Landrum.

She pushed for the idea for years to the school board, and three years ago figured out how to make the idea a reality.

Her experiences as an educator and mother allowed her to see the vision clearly, and she knew it could mean the difference in keeping great educators in the classroom when many feel economic pressure to stay home.

"I think it would help moms feel good about leaving their kids to go to work," said Landrum.

And it's working, attracting special education teacher Erin Hould back to the classroom while her little girl, Mary, attends the daycare down the hall.

"I taught for a number of years and then stopped because I really struggle with having my kids at daycare," said Hould. "It's just easy. I just come and bring her."

As Miles City's first female superintendent, and a mother herself, Brown believes if you can empower teachers to succeed, they will.

The in-district daycare idea is just the latest innovative way the district has been able to successfully retain new teachers when shortages continue to plague many districts.

In addition, last year, the district also went to a four-day school week, learning the model is also a perk for attracting teachers.

"I think we must be looking at all the ways we can do that, so we can get our best educators in our districts," said Brown.