Unique cost-sharing program for child care expenses ready for new participants

GAYLORD — An innovative program designed to help families with the high cost of child care is recruiting employers and employees in Otsego and several other Northern Michigan counties.

Michigan’s Tri-Share program represents a cost-sharing approach where the state, the employer and the employee each pay for one-third of the price of child care, effectively giving families a 66 percent discount. For an expense that can run higher than in-state college tuition, and may exceed some families’ mortgage payments, that workplace benefit can amount to a substantial raise.

"You have to use a licensed daycare provider through LARA (state department of licensing and regulatory affairs), so any provider that is either a daycare, summer camp, after-school program or even preschool is eligible," said Brandy Riopelle of the Otsego County Economic Alliance (OCEA).

There is an income limit of 200-325 percent over the poverty level.

"For four people in a family it is $62,400 to a maximum income of $101,400 (annually)," noted Riopelle.

She said once an employer agrees to participate in the program the employee can go online and fill out an application and submit income documents.

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Riopelle said employees or employers can contact her at (989) 731-7510 or through email if they have questions. Through the OCEA this program also reaches the following counties: Crawford, Montmorency, Roscommon, Ogemaw and Oscoda.

Tri-Share debuted as a public-private partnership to help modest-income families shoulder the high cost of child care and, in turn, allow Michiganders — most of whom are women — to reenter and remain in the workforce.

— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Unique cost-sharing program for child care expenses ready for new participants in Otsego County