NEW TriShare.org WEBSITE

United Way of Northwest Michigan is excited to announce the launch of the new TriShare.org website. The website will provide employers, employees, child care providers, and community members with a single source to obtain answers about the MI TriShare Child Care Pilot Program (TriShare), as well as apply for the program, and connect with the TriShare staff.

TriShare is an innovative approach to increasing access to high-quality, affordable child care for working families while also helping to retain talent and removing one major barrier to employment. TriShare is an employer-based benefit program to assist families to afford high-quality, licensed child care. Through TriShare, the cost of an employee’s child care is shared equally among the employer, the employee, and the State of Michigan in a three-way split with coordination being provided in ten northern Michigan counties by United Way of Northwest Michigan.

“We are thrilled that employers are stepping forward to improve the affordability of high-quality child care for their employees,” said Seth Johnson, Executive Director of United Way of Northwest Michigan. “Families are grateful for the assistance as the cost of groceries, gas, and those life staples have skyrocketed over the last year. The program to date has saved families over $65,000.”

The program was initially launched in 2021 as a pilot for six months. United Way of Northwest Michigan was selected as one of the initial three hubs around the state to administer the program. Due to the success of the program across the state, it was moved to an ongoing pilot in the state of Michigan’s budget for the 2022/23 fiscal year.

It was designed to help all three of the participating parties overcome the barriers they each experience; employers to attract and retain employees, employees to be able to afford quality child care, and child care providers to receive secure, timely, and regular payments. The program is available to any employer in Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, and Wexford counties.

“The success of TriShare continues to be phenomenal in our region, as new employers and employees join each month. Many processes have been streamlined to accommodate the growth of TriShare. The website is one of those key pieces that pull the program together,” shared Kristina Bajtka, TriShare Coordinator of the United Way of Northwest Michigan Hub.

The interactive website is designed to help answer questions about the TriShare program and make it seamless for employers to inquire and employees to apply. Visit TriShare.org today for more information.