8.4 Public-Private Partnerships

Lead Agencies must demonstrate how they encourage partnerships among other public agencies, Tribal organizations, private entities, faith-based organizations, businesses, or organizations that promote business involvement, and/or community-based organizations to leverage existing service delivery (i.e., cooperative agreement among providers to pool resources to pay for shared fixed costs and operation) to leverage existing child care and early education service delivery systems and to increase the supply and quality of child care services for children younger than age 13. 8.4.1 Lead Agency public-private partnerships Identify and describe any public-private partnerships encouraged by the Lead Agency to leverage public and private resources to further the goals of CCDF: The Department has transitioned the MI TriShare program from the Michigan Women’s Commission (MWC), housed within the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). This program is an innovative public/private partnership that seeks to increase access to high quality, affordable child care for working families that also helps remove a barrier to employment and helps employers retain talent. Through Tri-Share, the cost of child care is shared equally by an eligible employee, their employer and the State of Michigan, with coordination provided regionally by a facilitator hub. The pilot is currently in 59 counties of the state with a state administrative partner assisting with employee recruitment and payments to the providers. Facilitator hubs in each region are actively working to recruit local employers to identify eligible employees. In addition, the Department often partners with the Early Childhood Investment Corporation Innovation Fund to pilot innovative strategies to address child care systems building.