New data released this week confirms what most Bozeman parents already suspected: the cost of childcare in the Gallatin Valley now exceeds federal affordability guidelines by a margin that one economist described as “mathematically uncomfortable.”

The average Bozeman family pays approximately $1,500 per month for childcare, against a median household income of $79,000. Federal guidelines suggest childcare should cost no more than 7 percent of household income. In Bozeman, it’s closer to 23 percent, which is technically fine if you don’t also need housing, food, or gasoline.

“We did the math,” said Jennie Kolstad, 34, a Belgrade-based bookkeeper who commutes to Bozeman for work. “After rent, childcare, and car payments, we have about $11 a month left. We’ve been very strategic with that $11.”

The report, compiled by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, notes that Bozeman’s childcare costs have risen 40 percent since 2020, a period during which local wages rose by what the report diplomatically calls “less than that.”

Several parents interviewed by The Bee described a circular dilemma: they need a second job to afford childcare, but the second job requires additional childcare, which requires additional income, which requires a third job, at which point the child in question will have graduated college.

“I looked into getting a part-time job at a daycare so I could bring my kid to work,” said Troy Farnham, a Bozeman electrician and father of two. “They said they’d love to hire me, but they couldn’t afford to pay me enough to cover the childcare for my other kid. We just kind of stared at each other.”

City Commissioner Diane Helling acknowledged the crisis during a Monday meeting, calling affordable childcare “a top priority for this commission” and noting that the city is “actively exploring solutions,” which sources close to the commission confirmed means “we are aware this is a problem.”

A representative from a local childcare provider, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the providers themselves aren’t profiting from the high costs. “Our margins are razor-thin. Our teachers make $14 an hour. Nobody in this equation is winning. We’re all just sort of losing together, as a community.”

The report also found that Gallatin County has approximately 1,200 fewer childcare slots than the estimated demand, a gap the city plans to address through a combination of zoning incentives, grant applications, and what one official called “cautious optimism.”

Kolstad, the Belgrade bookkeeper, said she and her husband are considering a third option. “My mother-in-law offered to move in and watch the kids. So now we just need a bigger house.” She paused. “In Bozeman.”

She did not elaborate further.