Quarterly E-News
March 2020

For the past two years, ACNJ has teamed up with child care providers, families and advocates to bring babies and family from across the state to the State House in Trenton to push for change.

But this year, Strolling Thunder New Jersey is going to be a little different.

We are getting ready to make our way back to Trenton to remind legislators to Think Babies! This year, ACNJ is recruiting one family with a baby under 3 from each of our 40 legislative districts to voice their experiences to state representatives regarding child care, home visitation, paid family leave and social-emotional development and attend Strolling Thunder 2020 on June 11th.

No experience necessary. Training will be provided. Families will be compensated for their time and travel. Read more about this exciting opportunity. Applications are due by Friday, March 27th, so apply today!

Join ACNJ and guest speaker Newark Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Quiles at the 23rd annual Newark Kids Count release Wednesday, March 18th, 9AM - 12PM at Express Newark, 54 Halsey Street, 2nd Floor. We will be discussing the state of children in the Brick City, as well as highlighting this year's special section - ensuring everyone is counted in the 2020 Census.

Registration and a continental breakfast will begin at 9AM. The program will begin promptly at 9:30 AM. If you have questions, please contact Alana Vega at avega@acnj.org or at 973.643.3876. Don't miss this informative event! Sign up today.

Thank you to all the advocates who came out on February 28th to Adelphia Restaurant in Deptford to take a deep dive into the New Jersey Kids Count County Pocket Guide, released last year, and to learn more about the 2020 Census. Did you know that Census data inform most of our ACNJ reports? You can help us spread the word and help ensure a complete count by visiting our Census 2020 NJ page.

Click here to download the presentation.

The Census invitations will start hitting mailboxes on March 12th. Now, more than ever, with more than $45 billion in annual federal dollars on the line for the state of New Jersey, we need to ensure an accurate count.

Join us on Friday, March 13th, 10:00 AM on either our Facebook page or our Census page to watch a live video going over the importance of the Census, how you can help ensure an accurate count and more.

Read more here.

On January 21st, Governor Murphy signed landmark legislation to reform New Jersey's Juvenile Justice system. While young offenders should be held accountable for their actions, the goal is to return them to their communities with the skills they need to stay out of trouble and mature into productive adults. In order to do this, we need a juvenile justice system that is therapeutic, not punitive.

Read more about the legislation.

Your voice made a difference! On January 23rd, First Lady Tammy Murphy and NJ Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson announced the Murphy Administration will reduce co-payments for parents who receive state assistance paying for child care by 50 percent, saving New Jersey families $23 million per year.

The First Lady additionally announced that the administration will be partnering with the Nicholson Foundation and the Community Health Acceleration Partnership to reduce New Jersey's maternal mortality rate by 50 percent and eliminate racial disparities in birth outcomes.

Read more about Tammy Murphy's commitment to mothers and children.

ACNJ wants to give a huge shout out to new board members Valerie Mauriello and Rick Meth.

Rick has received numerous awards for his experience as a lawyer, including being named a "Best Lawyer in America" in the areas of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law from 2010-2018 and being recognized by Chambers USA Legal Directory for his work. Richard has a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and is currently enjoying retirement following a successful legal career, most recently as a partner at Fox Rothchild LLP.

Valerie was a board member for ACNJ back in 2014-2017, and has recommitted to helping advocate for New Jersey's children. She is passionate about gender equality in the workplace, and has received awards from the YWCA and the National Association of Female Executive for her efforts for working women. Valerie is retired from Prudential Financial Inc., and has both an MMS in Operations Research from Stevens Institute of Technology, and an MA from Columbia University's Teachers College.

Welcome, Valerie and Rick!