Allie Sutherland:

Good morning, everyone.

My name is Allie Sutherland, and I am honored to stand before you today as the executive director of the Northeast Indiana Early Childhood Coalition—an organization deeply committed to strengthening our region’s early childhood system. Our mission is clear: to ensure that every family has access to affordable, high-quality early care and education, because we know this is the foundation for thriving communities and a strong workforce.

Today, I am so excited to share an initiative that embodies bold collaboration and innovation: Tri-Share+.

Tri-Share is a nationally recognized model that splits the cost of child care between employers, employees, and the state. But here in Northeast Indiana, we are taking it even further. With Tri-Share+, we are creating a system that not only provides working families with affordable child care but also invests in the long-term success of child care providers.

The challenge is clear: families are struggling to afford child care, and child care providers are struggling to sustain their businesses. This isn’t a problem that families or providers can solve alone. It requires a collective solution, and we believe Tri-Share+ is one step forward in addressing this complex issue. While we know it’s only one solution among many that are needed, our pilot is already showing us that employers are willing to come to the table.

This February, we will begin enrolling our first families into the Tri-Share+ platform—families who don’t qualify for child care vouchers but are still burdened by the high cost of care. Through this program, we will reduce their child care bills by two-thirds, giving them the financial relief they need to thrive.

This initiative would not be possible without the support of visionary employers like Stillwater Hospice, Parkview Health, Johnson Junction, Community State Bank, Cameron Health, and Sauder Manufacturing just to name of few of our inaugural employers. These organizations are leading the way, proving that investing in child care solutions isn’t just a family issue—it’s an economic imperative. Together, we are working toward a future where Indiana is truly "the state that works."

We are also excited to launch an innovative data system for our region, which maps available care against where housing is growing, where employment is concentrated, and where work-willing parents reside. This initiative gives our community the data they need to make investments that will truly be pivotal for our region.

Another key component of our success is the transformative investment made by PNC in our Shared Services model, truly putting the “plus” in Tri-Share+. With their substantial support, we will be able to expand shared administrative services for child care providers, ensuring they have the resources and infrastructure they need to succeed.

Our journey wouldn’t be where it is today without historic investment and strategic collaboration. The Strategic Development Commission made a transformative $5 million investment in early childhood—one of the largest in our region’s history. This funding has enabled us to build the infrastructure needed to implement a sustainable and scalable model. But we know that money alone is not enough.

It takes bold leadership, deep partnerships, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring that every child, every family, every employer, and every provider has the opportunity to succeed. And as we implement Tri-Share+, we are measuring its impact. What we’ve already seen through our Work Willing Parents Study is that when we support parents’ ability to work, we all gain—employers, parents, and the state.

We also want to take a moment to express our deep appreciation for the governor’s leadership and commitment to early childhood. His work in the budget to eliminate the child care waitlist and invest further in counties is a critical step in supporting families and building a stronger early care and education system across the state. These efforts are laying the groundwork for transformative change, and we are proud to build on this momentum.

Northeast Indiana is ready. We have the vision. We have the foundation. And we could not have done any of this work without the support of so many community partners from employers, to philanthropy, to county, city, and town governments, to county and regional economic development Northeast Indiana is proud to be a leader in early childhood innovation—a model for the state and beyond.

Thank you for your time, your partnership, and your shared commitment to building a brighter future for Indiana’s families and children.