Establishing the Tri-Share Child Care Assistance Program

HB 3239 establishes the West Virginia Tri-Share Child-Care Assistance Program to help families who do not qualify for existing state child-care subsidies. The program requires employers (with 20+ weeks of employees) to contribute toward child-care costs for their employees, while the state matches those contributions up to 100% using funds administered by the Department of Economic Development. Eligible employees must have household income below the state median, and the state match is paid directly to child-care facilities, not employees. This program fills gaps in current state subsidies by creating a public-private partnership where employers, the state, and employees share costs for child-care services.