Lessons from NJ’s Abbott Preschool: Building a National System of High Quality Early Education

Join leading experts including ACNJ's Cecilia Zalkind for a discussion of the most recent NIEER report about the Abbott Preschool Program (APPLES-10), the key aspects of a successful program, and what it would take to replicate New Jersey’s model across the country.

In Case You Missed It: Rewatch Strolling Thunder New Jersey 2021

This year, parents from across the state joined together to develop recommendations on how state leaders could use the federal child care funding to help working families. Senator Teresa Ruiz and Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez also joined in on the conversation. Stay tuned for the recommendations!

BLOG: Let's Reimagine a Child Care System that Benefits Us All

We are at a crossroads. We can continue to shore up our existing system with band-aids and short-term solutions. Or we can work together to reimagine the child care system we need and want. The federal America Rescue Plan funding gives us the opportunity to get it right.

ACNJ Testifies on the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) Plan

At a public hearing before the NJ Department of Human Services, ACNJ senior policy analyst Cynthia Rice spoke on the historic opportunity to change New Jersey’s child care paradigm now and in the future with the use of the American Rescue Plan Funds.

Through its webinars, town halls and surveys, ACNJ has heard first-hand from hundreds of New Jersey child care providers and parents on how COVID-19 has affected child care programs and families needing care for their children and what is needed to strengthen the current system. The testimony highlights two overarching themes that became clear during these many discussions.

How the American Rescue Plan Can Be a Game Changer for Families in Need of Child Care

Combined with the previous federal aid packages from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief
Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), New Jersey is expected to receive a total of nearly $1 billion to address child care

NJ First Lady's Virtual Roundtable: Investing in the #CareEconomy beyond the Pandemic

In order to recover from the pandemic and bounce back to our full capacity, New Jersey must prioritize the care economy. This means improving access for working families to find reliable, safe and high-quality child care. First Lady Tammy Murphy says the Garden State is ready to lead by example!