Hopa’s Mountain StoryMakers Program
Who is Hopa Mountain?
Hopa Mountain is a Bozeman-based nonprofit organization that invests in rural and tribal citizen leaders, adults and youth, who are working to improve education, ecological health, and economic development.
What is Hopa Mountain’s StoryMakers Program?
StoryMakers is an early learning program serving rural and tribal families with children 0-12 in Montana. Through Community Teams of local citizen leaders, StoryMakers supports parents and primary caregivers as they provide the early
learning experiences that lead to children’s success in school and life. Through Community Teams of citizen leaders, the StoryMakers program offers:
- high-quality, age- and culturally-appropriate, children’s books as tools to enhance children’s social, emotional and cognitive development
- current, parent-friendly child development information and book-sharing ideas
- personal encouragement to shape home life for children’s success with relationships and learning
Number of children whose parents and caregivers currently receive StoryMakers resources every 6 months: 15,000
What is the need for this program?
A growing body of research confirms that a strong early-learning home environment predicts children’s success as readers and students. Success in school strongly predicts good health and economic self-sufficiency in adulthood.
With relevant information and resources, parents and caregivers across the economic spectrum can provide their children with the early experiences that lead to their children’s success. StoryMakers supports families of children 0-12
with high-quality early learning resources and encouragement to shape home life for their children’s long-term success.
Why should Montana citizens be interested in this program?
Economists tell us that investing in our youngest children is one of the best investments we can make in our nation’s future. Supporting early learning can yield a return that far exceeds the return on most public spending. In high-quality
early learning programs, public investments return, over time, $8-$17 for every dollar invested.
For more information, please contact:
Bonnie Sachatello-Sawyer
Executive Director
Hopa Mountain
406-586-2455
bsawyer@hopamountain.org