Holly Summerhill couldn't be more grateful to her employer, Gratiot-Isabella RESD. Not only does she love her job as a GIRESD paraprofessional at Mt. Pleasant High School, but her employer is also sharing child care costs for her infant son, Bennett.
For too many working families, paying for child care is an obstacle to employment. The state launched the new MI Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program in March in hopes of making child care more affordable for parents, while also helping businesses retain workforce talent.
With Tri-Share, child care costs are split equally between the state, eligible families and their employers.
"Full-time day care for our son Bennett would have cost us more monthly than our mortgage - over $700 a month," says Summerhill. "Thanks to the RESD and the Tri-Share program, we're only paying one-third the cost. This has made a huge difference financially for our family."
The bipartisan cost-sharing program is the first of its kind in Michigan.
