By the time Courtney Bonbrake had her third child, she wasn’t just a mom navigating child care — she was a survivor of it.

Two different providers had shuttered. The costs rivaled her mortgage. And like thousands of parents in northeast Indiana, she was left juggling jobs, schedules, and budgets in a system that just didn’t work.

So she decided to fix it.

“I have a 12-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a 5-year-old,” Bonbrake said. “And with each child, we’ve struggled.”

Today, the Huntington County native is leading a new regional initiative to make child care more affordable — and accessible — through a model that could redefine early education across Indiana.

Her message to parents: “Your struggle is being seen. It’s being heard.”

The Broken Economics of Childcare in Indiana

For many working families, child care isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity that can break the bank. In Indiana, average infant care can cost over $10,000 annually per child, rivaling public college tuition. And in smaller counties like Huntington, choices are limited and closures are common.

Bonbrake knows that pain intimately. When two of her trusted child care providers closed within a few years, it wasn’t just inconvenient — it was destabilizing.

“It’s really heartbreaking,” she said. “We develop such a relationship with our provider. They’re caring for our children more than we can care for them during the day.”

In northeast Indiana, the consequences go far beyond family stress.

A regional study conducted by Bonbrake’s team at Sprout by 5, a local early childhood nonprofit, uncovered a staggering figure: 7,000 parents want to return to the workforce — but can’t, because they don’t have access to affordable, reliable child care.

“That number shocked me,” she said.

Enter the Tri-Share Model: A Shared Solution for a Shared Crisis

Faced with a workforce barrier hiding in plain sight, Bonbrake and her partners at the Indiana Early Childhood Education Coalition turned to a creative solution gaining traction in other states: the Tri-Share model.

Here’s how it works:

• One-third of the child care cost is paid by the employer

• One-third is paid by the parent

• The remaining third is covered by state funding via the Strategic Development Commission

It’s not a handout — it’s a three-way partnership.

And according to Bonbrake, several Huntington County employers have already opted in.

“We’re not asking employers to solve this alone,” she emphasized. “We’re giving them a structure to support their workforce while still keeping care affordable for families.”

Huntington as the Pilot — But Eyes on Expansion

Right now, the initiative is hyperlocal. Bonbrake’s focus is Huntington County — the place she calls home. But the vision stretches far wider.

“Our goal is to expand this across northeast Indiana in the coming months and years,” she said.

Early interest is promising. Other regional businesses — from logistics companies to manufacturing employers — have expressed interest in learning more, especially as talent shortages and retention challenges mount.

Bonbrake’s pitch is simple: If northeast Indiana wants to be a place where young families stay, grow, and thrive, stable early childhood care must be a priority.

“If we want families to come here, make their roots, grow their families and watch their families bloom,” she said, “we have to have stable, high-quality child care.”

Employers Are Listening — And Acting

The Tri-Share program comes at a pivotal moment for regional employers. Many have struggled to attract entry-level and mid-career workers, especially post-pandemic.

A 2024 report by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce cited child care access as one of the top three barriers to employment for working-age women in the state.

That’s where the employer incentive kicks in. By covering one-third of the child care cost, businesses don’t just support families — they boost recruitment and retention.

Here’s what it looks like in action:

It’s not about funding daycares directly. It’s about making it viable for parents to get to work — and stay there.

The Long View: Early Childhood as Economic Infrastructure

Bonbrake is careful to frame this initiative not just as social support — but as economic infrastructure.

“Childcare is workforce development,” she says. “If we don’t solve this, we’ll keep losing talent. We’ll keep families in crisis mode.”

The model she’s helping to build aims to prove that supporting zero-to-five care is no longer optional. It’s foundational.

Sprout by 5’s model also includes wraparound supports — everything from parent coaching to provider capacity-building — ensuring that quality doesn’t get lost in the affordability conversation.

The Face Behind the Fight

Bonbrake’s personal story gives this program its soul. She’s not leading from a distance. She’s living the struggle many of her clients face.

“I’m here to support across the board,” she says. “Whether they’re family members, providers, employers or employees — we’re all part of the same ecosystem.”

And she’s building something that might just reshape how Indiana supports its youngest residents — and their families.