After growing pleas from family advocacy groups, Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has reversed a decision that closed enrollment to the popular Child Care Assistance Program.
Next month, the state Department of Human Services will begin admitting up to 5,000 additional infants and toddlers whose families meet income guidelines, according to an announcement by Commissioner Sarah Adelman.
“For most New Jersey families, child care isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity,” Adelman said Wednesday. “The child care assistance program is a vital economic lifeline that helps pay for high quality early childhood education and allows parents to continue their careers. That is why reopening applications to maximize utilization for this program is so important.”
The $79.5 million program serves 70,000 working-poor families across the state, enabling those parents to afford child care for their children. Enrollment was frozen in August under a state budget agreement that cut additional funding for the initiative at the last minute, angering advocates.
With the announcement, the state will start accepting new applications in December from families with children experiencing homelessness, children with special needs and children from households with very low incomes. Adelman said interested families should check the program’s website for updates on how to apply.
The reversal came amid intense public lobbying efforts led by the Advocates for Children of New Jersey, an organization that got the attention of several women lawmakers who vowed to fight to reopen the program.
Winifred Smith-Jenkins, an ACNC director, praised Murphy’s course correction and credited the work of Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex and other lawmakers.
But Smith-Jenkins called it only a temporary fix, because enrollment will close once the program reaches its new limit of 75,000 children.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the majority leader on a long-term solution to the state’s growing child care and affordability needs,” Smith-Jenkins said.
The New Jersey Child Care Assistance program pays most daycare expenses for 70,000 children whose parents earn twice the federal poverty rate. Parents with one child may qualify for assistance if they earn no more than $34,840 a year, while a parent with two children can earn no more than $43,920.
A study by Rutgers University found child care — which can cost upwards of $18,000 a year — consumes about 30% of a family’s paycheck.
“Without access to this program, families were facing the unthinkable choice between making a living and caring for their children,” said Meghan Tavormina, a director at the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children. “The reopening of the program marks a critical step in the right direction and signals to these families that they and their children matter.”
Lawmakers approved a $58.8 billion state budget that Murphy signed into law in June. The program had hoped to receive $30 million to expand, but at the last minute, that appropriation was reduced to $2 million.
Enrollment was frozen beginning Aug. 1. The program also raised copays by 6%.
