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The Latest: COVID-19 Response

Posted on March 22, 2020

Artboard-COVID-response

ACNJ is here for NJ children.

We hope you are all staying healthy during this extraordinary time amidst the COVID-19 crisis. With so many questions, fears, worries and many unknowns, ACNJ remains committed to its efforts to advocate for New Jersey's most vulnerable children and their families. We will be communicating often and share updates as they become available. Below you will also find helpful resources to help parents, child care providers and those that work with children and families cope with the challenges of the time.

We want to hear from you.

Let us know your needs. Hearing about the real life, day to day challenges will help inform our advocacy and communication strategies. If you are having child care related issues, please fill out our survey.

ACNJ has partnered with ZERO TO THREE to collect stories about how you have been impacted by COVID-19. We hope that you will complete the very short survey and ask those in your networks to share their stories too. We will take what we learn from you and share with policymakers. Share your story.

Find resources for families and providers.
Coronavirus stories: We Want to Hear From You
 ZERO TO THREE is spreading care! Share your stories to help those caring for babies and toddlers.ZERO TO THREE coronavirus survey

State Response on impact of COVID-19

Latest COVID-19 Child Care Actions by Governor Murphy's Administration

To stay up-to-date with how states are approaching the pandemic, the Alliance for Early Success is collecting and maintaining the latest strategies and resources by state.

New Jersey Department of Children and Families’ Response to COVID-19

The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) takes measures to ensure the safety of both their employees and the families that they serve. Read more

Recent Posts

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Federal Response on COVID-19

Federal Update: Emergency COVID-19 Response Legislation and Next Steps for Babies

The Census continues to move forward but there are delays in operations.

In light of COVID-19, the U.S. Census Bureau has adjusted their operations to best serve the community to ensure everyone's safety, all while striving towards a complete count. Read more.

Resources

NJ COVID-19 Hub

New Jersey Information Hub: New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub

Do you need help during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic?
New Jersey Human Services is here to help you and your family.

View flyer with links to resources from paying for groceries, healthcare, child care and mental health services. (View Flyer in  Spanish)

New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance: Helpful links

New Jersey Economic Development: COVID-19/Novel Coronavirus Information for New Jersey Businesses

Parents

Do you need help during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic?
New Jersey Human Services is here to help you and your family.

View flyer with links to resources from paying for groceries, healthcare, child care and mental health services. (View Flyer in  Spanish)

In need of immediate help? Feeling overwhelmed?.
Don't be afraid to ask for help. Reach out to these hotlines.

Child Care Providers

Governor closes child care centers by April 1 unless they are providing care to children of essential workers, but must submit an application.

Child Care Providers and COVID-19: Paying the Bills and Helping Staff Pay theirs, ACNJ summary of federal and state supports.

View Child Care Closures – What Child Care Programs and Parents Need to Know After Governor Murphy’s COVID-19 Executive Order of March 25, 2020

Child Care and COVID-19: State and Federal Supports Webinars 

View recordings and resources of Session I,Session II and Session III

Education

BLOG: School is in session – Homeschooling during a pandemic, by Nina Peckman, ACNJ Staff Attorney

Resources:

Health

Food Access

Addressing Hunger During Coronavirus crisis, Hunger Free New Jersey

  • Residents who need food assistance can visit and apply for SNAP online at www.NJHelps.org.
    *NOTE: D-SNAP (disaster SNAP) is not subject to the public charge option for immigrants.
  • Search food pantries in your area at nj211.org Call before you go.
  • WIC (Nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children) is open for Business. In light of COVID-19, New Jersey WIC is allowing additional food items in anticipation of limited food selections related to recent events. 

Non-Profits/Business

Non-Profit/Business Resources

Business Resources

Child Care Statement on COVID-19

Posted on March 22, 2020

As child care advocates, we are calling for strong measures to fully sustain New Jersey’s child care system for children, families and the economy. This extraordinary health crisis demonstrates, in the most compelling way, the importance of affordable, accessible, safe child care for children and families.

Our first priority is ensuring the health and well-being of children and all who care for them in child care settings. That is why we believe that child care programs must be mandated to close, just as schools have been closed. However, we understand that children of emergency responders and other essential personnel must have access to care during this uncertain time. This must – and can - be done in a way that fully protects children and caregivers.

At the same time, strong measures must be taken to protect the fragile infrastructure of our child care ecosystem. The decisions we make now will have a longstanding impact on the future of child care, particularly subsidized care for low-income families. Without immediate action, many child care programs are at risk of going out of business permanently.

We, the undersigned organizations, urge Governor Murphy and his administration to adopt the following policies.

Mandate child care programs to close immediately, consistent with the mandatory closure of schools, with specific provisions to address the child care needs of first responders and essential workers.

Continue to make child care subsidy payments to all providers, either open or closed. Base payment on each program’s March 1, 2020 enrollment numbers, not attendance, and continue payment through April 30, 2020. Provide full payment to cover parent co-payments. Assess future action, depending on the status of the pandemic at that time.

Ensure access to unemployment insurance for family child care homes and center-based providers who do not accept subsidies.

Rescind the March 16th suspension of DCF licensing standards for minimum play space requirements and group size, so that children who need child care, will stay as safe as possible.

Develop emergency plans to ensure that health personnel, emergency responders and other essential services have access to child care if needed. Such plans must provide a clear definition of the essential personnel and establish guidelines for the safe provision of care.

Raise the child care subsidy rate by an additional $100 per month per child to support the added costs of those centers that remain open to provide child care to essential personnel.

Signed by:

  • Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ)
  • New Jersey’s Statewide Afterschool Network (NJSACC)
  • New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children (NJAEYC)
  • New Jersey Head Start Association (NJHSA)
  • Coalition for Infant Toddler Educators (CITE)
  • The New Jersey Family Child Care Providers Association (NJPCCPA)

Newark Kids Count Digital Release

Posted on March 18, 2020

With the 2020 Census in full swing and Brick City topping the list of hard-to-count places in the nation, Newark must overcome a unique set of challenges to ensure a complete count, according to the 2020 Newark Kids Count report. The release of the report coincides with Count All Kids Day, a national campaign to highlight the need to count all children in the Census. Children under age 5 are at highest risk of being undercounted.

Ways to Advocate for the Census From Home

Posted on March 18, 2020

The COVID-19 virus (“Coronavirus”) has altered the way we go about our daily lives, but fortunately, Census questionnaires can be filled out at my2020census.gov, over the phone or by mail. An accurate Census count helps inform and fund many safety net programs that are being utilized during the pandemic. We are experiencing a live example of why an accurate count is so important. Fortunately, we can practice social distancing and self-quarantining while also ensuring an accurate count for the State of New Jersey. It takes just ten minutes to make sure New Jersey gets its fair share of resources for the next decade.

Help us spread the word about the importance of filling out the 2020 Census, all possible from the comforts of your home:

  1. Join Count All Kids Day! Children under age 5 are among the hardest-to-count populations for the Census. March 18th is Count All Kids Day! Make sure you count your children this year, and let others know that they should count their kids too. Share a video or photo of your child using Statistics in Schools material, and use the hashtag #CountAllKids
  2. Share a photo of everyone who was counted in your Census! Fill out your Census, tell your social media friends, and tell them to fill theirs out too. Take a #CensusSelfie of everyone who was counted, and use our Census frame available on Facebook to tell the world that you count. Make sure to use the hashtag #Census2020NJ
  3. Spread the knowledge – share our webinar. ACNJ Kids Count Coordinator and Census Ambassador Alana Vega held a webinar instructing advocates how to spread the word about the Census. Watch the video, and tell others about it. Don’t have the time to watch? View our seven-minute synopsis here.