Access to childcare program expands to seven new regions

(LANSING, Mich.) The MI-Tri Share Child Care Pilot program has expanded to seven new regions.

The Tri-Share Program launched in March of 2021. It works by splitting the cost of childcare between employees who are eligible, their employer, and the state of Michigan. 

Employees who utilize the program for their children are required to work for an employer that participates in the program. 

They also have to have an income that is 185% above the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) and below 285% of the FPL. 

“Expanding access to high-quality, affordable childcare will help every kid succeed from day one and help parents get back to work knowing that their kids are safe and cared for,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “We must continue investing in programs like Tri-Share that put Michiganders first and help us grow our economy.” 

Budget recommendations released by Whitmer last week included $2.5 million for the Tri-Share Program. 

The new facilitator hubs for the program are: 

• St. Clair RESA serving St. Clair County 
• Southwest Child Care Resources serving Kalamazoo County 
• Vibrant Futures serving Kent County 
• Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership serving Shiawassee County 
• Child Care Network serving Washtenaw County 
• Marquette-Alger RESA serving all the Upper Peninsula, including Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon and Schoolcraft Counties 
• Otsego County Economic Alliance, Inc. serving Otsego, Crawford, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Roscommon and Oscoda Counties 

Chana Edmond-Verley, the CEO of Vibrant Futures in Kent County reacted with excitement to the expansion. 

"When affordability levers like Tri-Share are in place, we have more tools in our toolkit to provide the necessary resources to ensure that more families have help navigating the evolving work environment,” said Edmond-Verley.

With the expansion, the Tri-Share program now serves 52 counties in Michigan as well as the city of Detroit. 

More information about the program can be found on the Tri-Share here.