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County signs administrative agreement to join Tri-Share childcare pilot for county employees
Summary
Ashe County staff presented the Tri-Share childcare pilot and commissioners agreed to sign an administrative agreement (no cost) to participate; staff proposed budgeting initially for five employee slots and said the pilot can be stopped if it does not yield benefits.
Human resources staff described North Carolina's Tri-Share pilot on May 4 and asked the commissioners to approve signing the administrative agreement with Tutris, the program's payment intermediary. Under Tri-Share, the employee, the employer and the state each pay one-third of qualifying childcare costs for households earning 185% to 300% of the federal poverty level.
Kelsey (HR) told the board the county is being asked only to sign an agreement that allows the county to enroll employees; there is no cost to sign. Staff recommended budgeting for five children in the initial fiscal year (county share roughly $300—$400 per child per month if center costs are $900—$1,200) and emphasized objective selection criteria will be developed during budget deliberations so the selection process is not subjective.
Nick added that many local childcare centers are signed up and reported approximately 40 open childcare slots among centers, which suggests capacity to accept participants. Commissioners discussed concerns about confidentiality, employer discretion over outreach and whether the first-come, first-served approach or a needs-based ranking should be used; staff said the pilot structure allows the county to stop participation if it does not produce measurable benefits.
Why it matters: The program is aimed at reducing employee childcare costs and improving retention. Commissioners signaled support to sign the agreement and to evaluate budgeting and selection rules during the upcoming budget workshops.
Next steps: Staff will sign the Tutris agreement and return with proposed objective criteria and budgeted funding for the pilot during the county's budget process.
