Child Development Center closes after loss of state contract

The Child Development Center closed its locations in Missoula and Kalispell last week following the loss of a five-year state contract that funded early intervention services.  

The nonprofit provides services to children who have developmental delays or disabilities. Its family support specialists work with patients in their homes, administering physical, occupational and speech therapies, parent trainings and behavioral health support.  

Child Development Center Executive Director Greg Malone said their Montana Milestones Early Intervention contract, also known as Part C, provided funding for 30% of their services and about half of their staff. Those state reimbursements, combined with the funds the center receives from the Family Education and Support program, supports 50% of the operation. 

He wrote in a June 13 letter that the facilities would close by June 28.  

"It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of this community over the last five decades and our hearts are broken that we will not be assisting future generations within this community,” Malone wrote. 

He acknowledged the center has long struggled to showcase the impact of its work, which he believes played into the loss of the contract. When the state issues requests for proposals, they include a series of questions about how the facility plans to deliver the outlined care. 

He said that when the center responded to the request for proposals this year, he initially thought they got a good response from the state. 

“But unfortunately, we've never been really very good at talking about what we do. We've been very good at doing what we do ... They didn't value our responses as high as they valued other people's responses,” Malone said.  

Though the loss of the state contract was unexpected, Malone said the nonprofit has struggled financially for years. In addition to recent staff turnover, he said they’ve been working to make up for budget cuts that affected the state Department of Public Health and Human Services in 2017 and led to a huge reduction in the program’s reimbursement rate.  

"But we continued providing service ... advocating for increased rates, just hoping that those the budget challenges of 2017 would be reversed in the next cycle. We've been using our own company reserves to get us to this next phase, which was this [request for proposals],” Malone said. 

The nonprofit was successful in increasing its rate structure, but the facilities will not see the long-term benefit.  

“Everything was looking much better — changing our service model a bit but being able to continue to provide a high-level of service. So, I think that not getting the contract was a bit of a surprise,” Malone said. 

Though employees are obviously disappointed, he said, they are hoping for the best for the families they’ve served.  

"That's really our mission is to have these folks receive the services that they're entitled to, and to get kiddos to achieve their best outcomes. So that's ultimately our still our goal,” Malone said. “And our hope that these kiddos receive those services and that families are able to advocate on their behalf and get a level of service that's similar to what we did.” 

Child Development Center lost its contract to Benchmark Human Services, which has locations in Helena and Billings, as well as in 17 other states. It is headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana and provides services akin to the Child Development Center, in addition to adult programs for recovery, crisis response and those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, according to the company’s website.  

Malone indicated that some Child Development Center staff would transition to Benchmark. 

Requests for comment from Benchmark Human Services were not returned by press time. 

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.