Best Beginnings STARS to Quality is Montana's voluntary star-rating system for daycares, run by the state health department on top of licensing. A higher star signals more training, better ratios, and stronger learning environments — but because it is voluntary, an unrated program is not automatically a worse one.
If you are comparing daycares in Montana and see a STARS to Quality level, this guide explains what the stars measure, who runs and licenses programs, how to confirm a rating, and how it connects to cost and subsidy — so you can use it as one input, not the whole decision. The system is administered by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Early Childhood Services Bureau, within the broader structure the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Child Care sets for states.
Best Beginnings STARS to Quality is Montana's voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement System, administered by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Early Childhood Services Bureau. It rates participating early childhood programs on a star scale built on licensing, training, staff-to-child ratios, and learning environments, per DPHHS and the federal ACF Office of Child Care. Participation is voluntary, so not every licensed program holds a star.
A quality rating system does two jobs at once. It rates programs so families can compare them, and it improves programs by pairing higher star levels with coaching, training, and incentives. Montana built STARS to Quality with statewide input, supported by the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) administered by the ACF Office of Child Care.
Both the star rating and the underlying license sit with the Montana DPHHS, which licenses and registers child care providers and runs STARS to Quality through its Early Childhood Services Bureau. Licensing is the mandatory floor every program must meet; STARS to Quality is the optional layer above it. The table below sorts out what each label means.
| Label | What to know |
|---|---|
| STARS to Quality | Montana's voluntary star rating, built on licensing plus training, ratios, family partnership, and learning environments. Run by DPHHS. |
| Licensing / registration (DPHHS) | The mandatory baseline. The Montana DPHHS licenses and registers providers; confirm a program's current status. |
| Accreditation | Optional national recognition, such as NAEYC (the National Association for the Education of Young Children), separate from the state and a useful extra signal. |
Because STARS to Quality is voluntary, confirm a program's current license first, then ask about its star level, rather than assuming an unrated program is lower quality.
Start with the license: confirm the program's status with the Montana DPHHS, which licenses and registers providers, and review any compliance history. Then ask about the STARS to Quality level. Treat any star as one verified data point alongside your own tour, because ratings can lag a program's real, day-to-day conditions by a year or more.
Honest tradeoff. A star rating is genuinely useful, but because Montana's STARS to Quality is voluntary, a strong program down the road may have no star at all. Use the rating to narrow your list, never to rule out an unrated program before you have visited.
The rating does not set tuition, which each program decides on its own. But in Montana, the state ties added support and, where offered, enhanced reimbursement to higher star levels through the Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship, administered by DPHHS, a structure the ACF Office of Child Care encourages under the federal Child Care and Development Fund. For national context, ChildCare Aware of America's 2024 Price of Child Care report put center-based care at roughly $8,000 to $24,000 per year depending on age and state.
For Montana-specific figures, see our daycare cost guide and estimate your own with the cost calculator. If you may qualify for help paying, the Montana Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship through DPHHS is the place to start.
Best Beginnings STARS to Quality is Montana's voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement System, administered by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Early Childhood Services Bureau. It rates participating early childhood programs on a star scale built on licensing, training, ratios, and learning environments, per DPHHS and the federal ACF Office of Child Care. Participation is voluntary, so not every licensed program holds a star.
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) licenses and registers child care providers in Montana, per DPHHS. Licensing is the mandatory baseline that every program must meet, while STARS to Quality sits on top of it as a voluntary quality layer. Confirm a program's current license before you enroll.
Confirm the program's license or registration status with the Montana DPHHS and review any compliance history, then ask the program directly about its STARS to Quality level. Because participation is voluntary, an unrated program is not necessarily low quality. Treat any star as one data point and pair it with your own tour.
Not directly through tuition, which each program sets. But Montana ties added support and enhanced subsidy reimbursement to higher star levels through the Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship, administered by DPHHS, per DPHHS and the ACF Office of Child Care. Center care nationally runs roughly $8,000–$24,000 per year, per ChildCare Aware of America's 2024 Price of Child Care report.
For the full picture in your state, see the Montana daycare guide, which covers licensing, subsidy, and pre-K. Our daycare quality and safety pillar explains accreditation, ratios, and what to look for on a tour.
Comparing how other states rate quality? Read our explainers on Idaho's Steps to Quality, Colorado Shines, and Iowa's QRS.
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