One thing it seems both Republicans and Democrats can agree on in Michigan? That businesses should be part of the solution to unaffordable childcare, often cited as a barrier for parents getting to work.
This week, state officials announced lawmakers passed bipartisan legislation making the state’s Tri-Share program permanent. Tri-Share is a childcare cost-sharing benefit businesses can offer employees which divides the cost of childcare equally between the company, employee and state of Michigan.
Since launching in 2021, the program has operated as a pilot, receiving state funds each budget cycle that eventually reached $3.4 million. The pilot also eventually expanded statewide, reaching more than 310 employers, more than 1,200 children, and about
1,000 families across 83 counties, according to the state’s early education agency, MiLEAP.
“Making MI Tri-Share a permanent part of state law is a major milestone for Michigan families, employers and children,” wrote MiLEAP spokesperson Aundreana Jones-Poole. “It gives families and employers greater certainty that this child care benefit will be available for the long term, while recognizing the success of a bipartisan program that helps families reduce child care costs and gives employers another tool to attract and retain workers.”
Why does Tri-Share have bipartisan support?
For as long as she’s been working in government, state Rep. Julie Rogers, D-Kalamazoo, said she’s heard from parents about childcare costs as a barrier to employment.
Tri-Share came onto the scene as one answer to this problem which impacts businesses, too, in the form of issues like high turnover, since workers can’t stay in jobs when they have kids and no childcare. As childcare costs continue to rise across the state, she said, the challenge has become universal.
“I think the fact that both families and people seeking jobs, as well as employers are all in agreement, that doesn’t always happen, so I think that’s also why there’s been a lot of bipartisan support around this,” said Rogers, who introduced a bill codifying Tri-Share this term, though the version that eventually passed was introduced by Rep. Greg VanWoerkom, R-Norton Shores.
What does it mean now that Tri-Share is permanent?
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Tri-Share into law as a permanent state program at the end of July 2026. This gives the program more credibility with businesses who might be interested in offering Tri-Share as a benefit to employees but were skeptical that funding could abruptly stop since funding each year was previously “at the whim of the legislature,” said Rep. Rogers.
No longer. Now the program will have a dedicated fund each year, regardless of the way political winds blow.
Though some cite the fact that Tri-Share was only a pilot as a main reason why businesses have been tentative to opt-in, Christina Keller, CEO and Chair at Cascade Engineering in Grand Rapids, isn’t so sure. In talking with business leaders across western Michigan, Keller said while they’re certainly interested in anything that can reduce turnover, she’s found some leaders uninterested in offering the benefit to employees because of the third of the bill the company has to pick up as part of the Tri-Share deal.
“They will say that’s not attainable for us, or we don’t want to participate because of that reason,” Keller said.
Cascade Engineering has 400 employees total, only one of which is participating in Tri-Share. Primarily employees make too much to be eligible, Keller said, and those who are eligible tend to use non-licensed childcare providers, like friends or family, who can’t be paid through the program.
But Keller said her company isn’t so concerned with calculating the return on investment. And as a women-owned business it’s about allowing people to stay in their career if they want to, particularly women who are often the ones to leave the workforce when childcare isn’t available.
“By having this type of program and keeping somebody who wants to be an employee … being able to climb that economic hurdle so they can stay employed can vastly increase their earning potential over the course of their career,” Keller said.
MiLEAP recently launched Care-Share, a Tri-Share add-on that allows employers to offer the benefit to employees regardless of program income eligibility, which is between 200% to 400% of the federal poverty line or around $66,000 to $132,000 annually for a family of four. The program was created to remove a barrier behind why some companies said they didn't offer the program. With Care-Share, the state doesn’t pay in, so employers pay one-third and employees two-thirds of the cost of child care. Legislation also made Care-Share permanent.
Beki San Martin is a fellow at the Detroit Free Press who covers childcare, early childhood education and other issues that affect the lives of children ages 5 and under and their families in metro Detroit and across Michigan. Contact her at rsanmartin@freepress.com.
This fellowship was founded with support from the Bainum Family Foundation. The Free Press retains editorial control of this work.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan's Tri-Share childcare cost-sharing program becomes permanent
