HELENA — Child care is not easy to find in Montana, so imagine if the care you trust and rely on all of a sudden stopped. What would that mean for your kids, you, your job? That is the situation a number of parents in the Helena area found themselves in after Bloom Montessori School abruptly closed in early November.
According to parents, everything seemed normal when they picked their children up on Tuesday, November 5. Shortly after pickup, they received an email telling them the school would not reopen.
“It was very jarring and shocking,” said parent Shelli Merino said. “No warning.”
Merino had two children at the school, one three-year-old and one nine-year-old.
“It was a pretty crazy and stressful and hard last couple of weeks trying to find child care,” Merino said.
Kali Wicks’ five-year-old was a student at Bloom Montessori School.
“When we were in the car and my husband pulled up his email and we got the news, it was really a shock,” she said.
According to emails sent to parents, Bloom Montessori School was facing serious financial problems after an alleged embezzlement situation was uncovered in 2023, and due to those financial issues, the school was scheduled to close when its lease ended in December.
“We had already started to check out the school scenes, finding out what options were available to us,” Merino said.
Even though parents were on finding new schooling and child care locations, the abrupt closure was difficult.
“I think just the immediate feeling was dread, not just for us, but for all of our fellow parents—especially parents of infants,” Wicks said. “How were they going to find care? How are they going to get through the holiday season? How are they going to work?”
According to a report from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, licensed child care capacity only meets 44 percent of the estimated demand in Montana, and 59 percent of Montana counties are considered child care deserts, meaning available care meets less than one-third of demand.
Bloom Montessori School provided daycare and school for infants through elementary school-aged kids. The US Department of Education lists the school’s enrollment at over 100 students.
Merino was able to enroll her nine-year-old in public school and with the help of friends, found daycare for her three-year-old. Wicks was able to enroll her five-year-old in the WonderLab preschool at ExplorationWorks.
“It’s really difficult to explain something like this to a child and give them the comfort and security that they are going to go someplace that’s safe, and that is welcoming, and that is going to have the same level of education,” Wicks said.
Another group impacted by the closure of Bloom Montessori School is teachers. According to a fundraiser organized by parents, 20 teachers were left without a job and were not paid for their work in October.
Bloom Montessori School parents organized a teachers support fund through the Helena Area Community Foundation. Along with the online fundraiser, they held several events to raise money. Their goal is $50,000.
“That was the heaviest on our heart, because these teachers take care of our children every day,” Merino said. “They didn’t deserve this.”
The closure of Bloom Montessori School means fewer child care slots available in a place where supply already does not meet demand.
To support the teachers of Bloom Montessori School, click here.
