EBS STAFF
On Monday, Lone Mountain Land Company in partnership with the Yellowstone Club announced an initiative to increase the availability, accessibility and affordability of early childhood education from birth to five years old in Gallatin Gateway and Big Sky.
Opened in 2024, Gallatin River Child Care was initially designed to serve children of LMLC and YC employees. The new initiative will expand services from 30 to 48 children and will be available to the public. An additional child care facility in Big Sky’s Town Center is set to support 24 children and will also be available to the public. In a Feb. 10 press release, LMLC and YC stated that they are working to ensure that affordable, quality child care is accessible to families in need.
“We don’t want a lack of available and affordable child care to be a barrier for residents looking to expand their family or move to Big Sky,” stated Anna Johnson, director of community engagement for LMLC, in the release. “We aim to be part of the solution and are collaborating closely in partnership with current providers to ensure that there is early childhood education availability in Big Sky now and into the future.”
The planned Big Sky location at 5 Spruce Cone Drive is currently in the process of obtaining a permit to allow child care within the existing zoning restrictions. With unanimous support from the Big Sky Zoning Advisory Committee, the next step involves a hearing with the Gallatin County Planning and Zoning Board. Renovation plans are currently underway with construction expected to be completed for a fall 2025 opening. The Westfork Meadows Homeowners Association also expressed support for the project.
In the press release, LMLC noted that while these efforts are a big step, more efforts will be required to address the childcare gap in Big Sky. To help guide this work, community stakeholders are supporting Greater Gallatin United Way’s creation of the Big Sky Early Childhood Education Alliance, which will develop a plan for improved facilities and sustainable funding for early childhood providers.
