Roane General Hospital in the US has announced its participation in West Virginia's Tri-Share Child Care programme, becoming the first in the state to adopt this approach to alleviate childcare costs for employees.

The programme, a collaboration between the West Virginia Small Business Development Center and Wonderschool, is designed to make childcare more affordable for working families by dividing the cost between the employer, employee and the state.

Roane General Hospital CEO Doug Bentz said: "Retention of our staff is without a doubt our top priority.

"You can't have a conversation about keeping great people without talking about child care. This programme allows us to cost-share with our employees, helping them balance their professional and personal lives while strengthening our community."

Through the programme, employees at participating organisations can use the Wonderschool platform to find and enrol in licensed childcare services.

Wonderschool new government initiatives head Jason Moss said: "West Virginia is among a handful of states tackling the child care crisis in a really innovative way.

“The Tri-Share programme is a win-win-win: for employers, who can retain talent; for providers, who gain financial stability; and for employees, who can see their child care costs reduced by 50%, 65%, even 70%.”

Wonderschool also offers childcare providers back-office technological support, business coaching, along operational assistance, which enables them to concentrate on offering quality care.

Roane General Hospital participates in a growing list of West Virginia employers joining the Tri-Share initiative, such as Scott Depot Christ Fellowship, Auge+Gray+Drake, Milestones Physical Therapy, Ellis Insurance and Mountaineer Montessori School.