Montana Kinship Navigator Program — Free Help From MSU Extension

You've taken in a relative child and every day brings a new question — school enrollment, doctor visits, insurance applications, legal paperwork. Montana has a free program built specifically for people in your situation, and most caregivers don't find it until months after they needed it.

What MTKNP Actually Does

The Montana Kinship Navigator Program (MTKNP), run through Montana State University Extension, connects relative caregivers with the services and information they need but don't know how to find. The program offers peer support, resource navigation, legal educational materials, and county-level kinship support groups across the state.

This is not a government agency that makes decisions about your family. MTKNP staff help you figure out which forms you need, which benefits you qualify for, and who to call when a school or clinic gives you the runaround. They publish plain-language guides — including the MontGuide MT201813HR, "Kinship Caregivers Raising Relative Children: Navigating the Resources" — that break down Montana's kinship care landscape without the legal jargon.

How to Reach Them

• Toll-free phone: 1-833-445-3395
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: msuextension.org/mtknp

The phone line operates during standard business hours. For caregivers dealing with urgent school or medical situations outside those hours, having the right paperwork ready in advance makes the difference — which is where the affidavit and consent documents come in.

Support Groups and Educational Programs

MTKNP coordinates kinship caregiver support groups in counties across Montana. These groups connect grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives who are raising children so they can share experiences, trade practical tips, and find community with people who understand their situation.

The program also runs structured educational series, including adaptations of the PASTA (Parents as Skilled Tutors for their Adolescents) curriculum and Powerful Tools for Caregivers, addressing the emotional and practical demands of kinship care.

What Else Is Available

Beyond MTKNP, several other free resources serve Montana kinship families:

Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) provides free civil legal assistance to income-eligible caregivers. Call the intake helpline at 1-800-666-6899 or visit MontanaLawHelp.org for self-help guides and court form packets.

Montana District Court Self-Help Centers offer free legal forms, public-access computers, and filing guides for caregivers who need to pursue formal guardianship. Find your local center through courts.mt.gov/selfhelp.

AARP GrandFacts and Grandfamilies.org publish state-by-state legal fact sheets and policy overviews for relative caregivers nationwide, including Montana-specific summaries.

Montana DPHHS handles benefit applications — Healthy Montana Kids (health insurance), TANF Child-Only Grants (cash assistance), and Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarships. Apply at apply.mt.gov or call the OPA helpline at 1-888-706-1535.

When to Call MTKNP vs. When You Need More

MTKNP is the right first call for general guidance, referrals, and emotional support. They can point you toward the specific forms and agencies relevant to your situation. For actual legal advice about a contested custody dispute or a complex guardianship petition, they'll refer you to MLSA or a private family law attorney.

Our Montana School & Medical Consent guide complements what MTKNP provides — it organizes the specific school enrollment and medical consent documents into one print-ready package, with step-by-step execution instructions and institutional refusal scripts.

See more Montana guides →