WHAT are the benefits:
MI Tri-Share is a child care cost-sharing benefit available through your employer.
Three entities share the cost of your child care: You, Your Employer, and the State of Michigan. When your employer participates in MI Tri-Share, and you qualify, your child care cost is reduced by 66%!
WHO can benefit:
Heartfelt is an Approved Provider AND a Participating Employer.
This means:
-Current Heartfelt staff can take part in this program immediately.
-Currently attending Heartfelt families will need to request that their employer become a Participating Employer and they will then be able to apply for the program.
MI Tri-Share: A Win-Win Benefit for Employers and Employees
What is MI Tri-Share?
The MI Tri-Share Child Care Program is a public-private partnership that helps employers offer affordable child care as a benefit. The cost of care is split equally:
- 1/3 paid by the employer
- 1/3 paid by the employee
- 1/3 paid by the State of Michigan
Important: Both the child care provider and the employer must be enrolled in the program for the State of Michigan to contribute its share. If the employer is not a participating partner, neither the state nor the provider can participate.
Why It Matters for Employers
✔️ Recruit & Retain Talent: Offering child care support helps you stand out as an employer of choice.
✔️ Boost Productivity: Parents with reliable care are more focused and consistent at work.
✔️ Simple Administration: Payments are managed by the statewide partner, so your team won’t face a heavy burden.
Why It Matters for Employees
✔️ Affordable Care: Families save hundreds of dollars per month.
✔️ Flexibility: Can be used for children ages 0–12 (or up to 17 depending on your plan).
✔️ Peace of Mind: Employees know their children are cared for in licensed, high-quality programs.
Eligibility Requirements
Employee eligibility will be determined based on the employee’s family size and household income.
Employees must have a household income between 200%-400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
Employees must not be eligible for the Child Development and Care Program (CDC, commonly referred to as child care scholarship). Once an employee is deemed eligible, they are eligible for 2 years from their benefit start date, unless their employer has other parameters for the benefit.
If you are unsure if your family falls into the qualifying range, please apply, and the MI Tri-Share administrative partner team will assist you.
MI Tri-Share Program Eligibility 2026
F.A.Q.
Your employer will collect your portion of child care costs through payroll deduction or another method. The employer will send the employee and employer portions to the MI Tri-Share state administrative partner as invoiced.
The MI Tri-Share state administrative partner will then bill the State of Michigan for the remaining portion.
Your child care provider will invoice the MI Tri-Share state administrative partner, and they will pay your child care provider for care with the employee, employer, and state of Michigan contributions.
Employees are 100% responsible for their child care costs from the termination date if they separate from a participating employer.
Employee eligibility will be determined based on the employee’s household size and gross monthly income (before tax) for all adults from all sources. Currently, employees must have a household income between 200%-400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Please refer to the income chart on the main page.
If household income is below 200% FPL, the MI Tri-Share administrative partner staff will connect you with information to apply for the CDC program, as it may be more beneficial for your family. Employees eligible for the Child Development and Care Program (CDC) are not eligible for MI Tri-Share.
MI Tri-Share administrative partner staff will contact your child care provider to verify hours and rates of care.
Confirm those rates with you and have you determine your total care costs for the next quarter. They will then contact your employer to determine the benefit start date (based on payroll cycles) and provide a breakdown of the employee, employer, and state weekly rates.
The MI Tri-Share administrative partner staff will begin paying your child care provider for the total care costs from the determined benefit start date.
**Please note that registration fees, one-time fees, and balances prior to the benefit start date are not covered by the MI Tri-Share program. MI Tri-Share also ends if your employment status changes.**