This is good news for hardworking New Jersey families that struggle to make ends meet. More families will be able to afford child care that enables parents to keep jobs needed to build a secure future. For many, child care is the biggest expense in their family budget. More parents will be able to stay on the job, knowing their children’s development is in good hands. More businesses will be fully staffed and fully productive – and that’s good for the economy.

As Start Strong NJ’s Blueprint for Affordable Child Care makes clear, more needs to be done to update CCAP eligibility rules to reflect New Jersey’s high cost of living and the high cost of child care in the state. The Blueprint also calls for these child care affordability measures:

- Reduce co-payments for families receiving child care subsidies.
- Make subsidy rates consistent for various types of child care providers.
- Simplify application and recertification processes for child care assistance.
- Expand and modernize capacity for “family child care” facilities, which operate in providers’ homes and offer flexible hours that fit many families’ irregular work schedules.
- Strengthen New Jersey’s paid family and medical leave insurance program.
- Expand state tax credits for raising children so more families are eligible and credits are higher.

About Start Strong NJ

Start Strong NJ is a statewide campaign to put affordable, high-quality child care within reach of all New Jersey families. Inclusive and nonpartisan, Start Strong NJ recognizes that child care is essential economic infrastructure for New Jersey rather than a problem that individual families can solve on their own. Led by Advocates for Children of New Jersey and New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children, Start Strong NJ brings together parents, early childhood educators, business leaders, policy experts, and others who want to give every child the strong start needed for lifelong health and well-being. Visit https://www.startstrongnj.org/.