A Michigan childcare program could become part of the basis for federal policy.
The MI Tri-Share program splits the cost for childcare between the state, eligible working families, and participating employers.
Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (D-MI 3) said it’s been going well since it launched in 2021 as a pilot.
She and Republican colleague Rep. John James (R-MI 10) have introduced a bill to take it national by giving states, including Michigan, federal funding for their programs. Scholten said it’s a better way to provide a social safety net.
“By diffusing the cost over three participants and payers, you create a more stable model that we hope will have long-term staying power and parents, employers, and, again, the state can rely on it,” Scholten said at an event in Grand Rapids Monday to announce the bill.
During Monday’s press conference, speakers sang the praises of the Tri-Share program and efforts to take it nationwide.
Chana Edmond-Verley is CEO of the community organization, Vibrant Futures. She said the bill addresses one of the biggest needs for families: affording childcare.
“This national Tri-Share legislation is strategic. It’s catalytic, you guys, and it’s a breakthrough driver in economic development for all of us achieving shared prosperity,” Edmond-Verley said.
In Michigan, adoption of the program has been slow but steadily rising. An evaluation report from Fiscal Year 2024, the most recently available on the state’s website, found 550 employees were taking part by March. That’s almost double a year prior.
The report found the number of participating employers was among the factors limiting how many employees took part.
Scholten said there would be plenty incentive for everyone to get involved, should her bill pass.
“Access to affordable and high-quality childcare is a No. 1barrier cited to a lot of working parents thinking about getting back into the workforce after having a child, and so employers are going to want to participate because it’s going to give them access to a workforce pool that they didn’t have access to before,” she said.
Besides Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, and North Carolina are some other states to try out their own Tri-Share programs.
If passed, the bill would set aside $250 million each year for three years to launch Tri-Share as a federal pilot program. States would be eligible for up to $20 million, based on a variety of factors.
The legislation would pilot the program federally for three years.
