With $5 million in West Virginia’s proposed budget earmarked for expansion of the Tri-Share child care program, it’s time for an honest conversation about whether this is truly the best path forward for our state.

West Virginia is in the midst of a child care crisis. Families are struggling to find affordable, high-quality care. Providers are fighting to keep their doors open amid rising costs and workforce shortages. Employers are feeling the strain as workers leave jobs because they can’t secure reliable care. The need for action is urgent. But urgency does not justify investing millions into a program that has yet to prove it delivers meaningful results. Not just in West Virginia, but in other states as well.

We’ve already seen what happens when we outsource our solutions. Nearly $3 million was awarded to a California-based tech company to come to West Virginia to be our child care savior and solve all of our child care child care problems in West Virginia. The result? Only 30 families were reportedly served. In Layman’s terms that’s about $100,000 per family, which leads us to question how much of that actually went to the families.

For that level of investment, that outcome is not just disappointing, but it also raises serious concerns about stewardship of these dollars. In a state where resources are limited and needs are immense, every dollar must work hard for our families and communities. Now, another $5 million is slated to expand Tri-Share.

At its core, Tri-Share is marketed as a program where “everyone has skin in the game” – the state, employers, and families each contribute to the cost of child care. But let’s be clear: families already have skin in the game. They pay a portion, if not all, of their child care costs without a branded program telling them to do so. Employers who wish to offer child care benefits to attract and retain workers are free to do so today. I can think of a couple who already do this in my town alone. And if the state wants to invest more in child care, it can directly, transparently, and in ways that strengthen the system rather than layering on a new administrative structure of offers that already exist.

Tri-Share is a label, not a solution. Instead of addressing the root causes of our child care crisis, it risks becoming a talking point, a way to say the state is “doing something” without making the structural investments providers and families have long requested. Worse, it is slated to direct significant public dollars toward an out-of-state company whose history we should continue to question.

West Virginia’s child care system does not need rebranding. It needs reinforcement.

Providers across our state have been clear about what would make a real difference: Codifying enrollment to give stability and predictability to providers, Increasing reimbursement rates for families who rely on child care subsidies so providers are not forced to operate at a loss, Addressing the child care subsidy cliff so families are not punished for earning slightly more income, as well as Passing and funding the Child Care Workforce Scholarship Act to strengthen and retain the professionals who care for our children every day.

These are not flashy initiatives with fancy names. They won’t generate buzzwords or press releases. But they will generate stability for those taking care of our littlest citizens, working families, local businesses, and communities across West Virginia. They will help providers keep classrooms open. They will help working families afford care without fear of losing assistance overnight. And they will strengthen local economies by ensuring parents can participate fully in the workforce.

West Virginia’s child care crisis will not be solved by branding exercises or outsourcing to companies headquartered thousands of miles away. It will be solved by listening to the providers on the ground, the families navigating the system, and the employers trying to keep their businesses staffed.

If we have $5 million to invest, let’s invest it where it counts: directly into the child care infrastructure that already exists in our communities. Let’s fund solutions that are built here, accountable here, and designed to serve West Virginia families first. Our children, our providers, and our taxpayers deserve nothing less.

(Gale, a resident of Weirton, is owner and director of Miss Tiffany’s Early Childhood Education House. She is also a candidate for Hancock County Board of Education.)