In Great Falls, early intervention runs through Quality Life Concepts, the local agency delivering Montana Milestones services under the state's Part C contract, pulling together a team of professionals around each family's daily routines. School-age children go through Great Falls Public Schools' annual Child Find events, and Montana's federally designated parent training center happens to be headquartered right in the city.

This page lists what those doors are, their phone numbers, and their web pages, plus the Developmental Disabilities Program office that Great Falls families use for longer-term Medicaid supports.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Montana page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Great Falls (Cascade County).

Early intervention under 3: Montana Milestones — Part C Early Intervention Program (Quality Life Concepts, Cascade County)

Quality Life Concepts holds the Montana Milestones Part C contract for the Great Falls area, providing early intervention for infants and toddlers with an established diagnosed condition or a measured developmental delay. Services are built around the family's daily routines rather than a clinic visit, with a team of professionals working alongside parents to find learning opportunities in everyday activities. As with the rest of the state system, evaluation and services are free to eligible families.

• Montana Milestones — Part C Early Intervention Program (Quality Life Concepts, Cascade County)
• Referral phone: 406-452-9531

New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.

School districts and special education

Great Falls Public Schools conducts Child Find activities annually for children age 3 and older, fulfilling the district's IDEA-based duty to locate and evaluate students who may need special education; children ages 3-5 identified through the process may also be eligible for the district's Transitional Kindergarten Program. A family that wants extra help outside the district can turn to Montana Empowerment Center, the state's parent training center based in Great Falls.

• Great Falls Public Schools — Identification/Child Find page; district also runs Special Education Overview and Special Programs pages

Other places to ask — not a substitute for the district

An evaluation request has to go to the school district itself; only the district can start the legal timeline. These are for asking questions about the process, or for when the district has not responded.

• Montana Empowerment Center — Montana's federally designated Parent Training and Information Center (successor to PLUK), headquartered in Great Falls — a resource, not a school district, for families navigating special education

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Great Falls

We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Great Falls. That is a gap in our research, not a sign there is nothing here — and it does not stand between you and an evaluation. The school district evaluation above is free, and early intervention under 3 does not need a private diagnosis first.

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Montana DPHHS Developmental Disabilities Program — Great Falls regional office

The Developmental Disabilities Program, housed within Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services, runs a regional office in Great Falls in addition to its offices in Billings, Missoula, Helena, and Glasgow. DDP handles eligibility determination for long-term disability services and manages the waitlist and enrollment process for Montana Medicaid's 0208 Comprehensive Waiver.

• Montana DPHHS Developmental Disabilities Program — Great Falls regional office
• Phone: 406-454-6085 (Great Falls regional office) · 406-444-2995 (DDP central office, Helena)

Local organizations that help Great Falls families

• Montana Empowerment Center — Great Falls-based, statewide Parent Training and Information Center; founded by families of children with disabilities, no cost to families

Documented waits and access notes

Wait times change. Each note below links to the public source it came from — confirm current status directly with the program.

• Great Falls Public Schools must complete evaluation and determine eligibility within 60 calendar days of parental consent, with summer break not counted toward the deadline. (source)
• Once a child is found eligible, the district must hold an IEP meeting within 30 calendar days. (source)
• Quality Life Concepts (Montana Milestones) must complete evaluation and hold the initial IFSP meeting within 45 calendar days of your referral. (source)
• Montana's 0208 Comprehensive Waiver had 2,095 people on the waiting list as of May 2026, with families typically waiting about three years for services. (source)