West Noble School Corporation Supports Tri-Share Model

As superintendent of West Noble School Corporation, a district of more than 2,200 students northwest of Fort Wayne, Dr. Nate Lowe makes difficult decisions every day. When it came to participating in a new tri-share child care model, however, the decision was simple. “It just made sense,” Lowe said. “This isn’t a handout – it’s a shared partnership and a way to support the staff in our school community.”

In the tri-share model, multiple parties work together to alleviate the financial burden of child care for qualifying families. Noble County’s tri-share fund was seeded with a $50,000 investment of economic development income tax funds from county commissioners. West Noble School Corporation and the school team member also pay a portion of the child care costs. Families see instant relief in their child care bills and West Noble benefits from decreased turnover and increased staff satisfaction.

“We had staff reach out and say they weren’t able to afford child care and were at risk of having to quit their jobs,” Lowe said. “Often these were staff such as assistant teachers or building custodians who may be on the lower end of a pay range, and child care costs were taking a significant portion of their income. We have good people in these roles, and it feels like the right thing to be able to support them in this way.”