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The Progress Made by New Jersey’s Juvenile Justice System Gives Me Hope

Posted on October 26, 2018

Mary Coogan, Esq.
ACNJ vice president

In September, David Goodman, a New Jersey-born actor who graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden, spoke to the state Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) Class of 2018 about facing hardships and not giving up. The ceremony had all the making of a traditional high school graduation, complete with six graduates receiving academic awards, family and friends celebrating with lots of photos, and even government officials Attorney General S. Gurbir Grewal, Lieutenant Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, JJC Executive Director Kevin M. Brown, and JJC Director of Education Tremaine Harrison in attendance.

The main difference? This graduation was taking place at the state’s largest youth facility for juvenile offenders, the New Jersey Training School for Boys, otherwise known as Jamesburg.

Listening to the speakers share statistics about ongoing juvenile reform efforts, and the cheers of the audience as smiling graduates tossed their caps in the air, congratulating each other, gave me some hope that we are on the right track.

In addition to the 60 students participating in the graduation, 72 students received their diplomas or their High School Equivalency Diplomas (HSEDs) earlier in the year and have since been released from JJC supervision or did not participate in the ceremony.

During his remarks, Attorney General Grewal explained that since 2003, there has been an 85 percent reduction in the number of youth committed to the care of the JJC by the courts, from 1,200 annually in 2003 to approximately 176 statewide in 2017. Youth of color account for 85 percent of this reduction. While there is still an overrepresentation of youth of color in county detention centers, the JJC and its partners through the New Jersey Council on Juvenile System Improvement (Council) continue to have data-driven conversations to identify strategies to address this serious problem.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently commended New Jersey for its success under the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), an effort to reduce the number of youth unnecessarily or inappropriately placed in detention, while protecting public safety and helping troubled youth address issues that led to criminal behavior. Since its nationwide implementation, JDAI has helped more than 300 locations safely reduce their juvenile detention populations.

New Jersey, a national model in JDAI, has decreased its average daily juvenile detention center population statewide by almost 80 percent between 2003 (pre-JDAI) and 2018 without impacting public safety, and has closed eight county-operated detention facilities since JDAI reforms began, resulting in an annual savings of $21 million. Research by the Casey Foundation has also demonstrated that in addition to the large reduction in daily detention populations, jurisdictions participating in JDAI, including New Jersey, have seen an equally steep decline in the number of youth committed to state juvenile correctional facilities.

But there is more to be done.

The JCC has been working to safely and significantly reduce out-of-home placements and incarceration, particularly for youth of color, who are still overrepresented within the system and remain in care longer than white youth, despite the positive impact of JDAI. Stakeholders, including the Casey Foundation and other national experts, are working together with officials in Camden County to determine why the racial disparities exist and how to solve them. The lessons learned in Camden County will then be shared throughout the state. Though difficult and time-consuming, the work is needed if New Jersey wishes to achieve better outcomes for our youth.

The most recent report of their progress was given at the last Council meeting. I was impressed by the effort and commitment of the judges, court staff, probation staff, prosecutors, public defenders and mental health professionals in transforming the culture and practices in Camden County. Families, schools, law enforcement and members of the community are all being engaged to build relationships that can help our neediest youth.

The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice led the charge to close Jamesburg and Hayes, the secure youth facility for girls, a goal that ACNJ supported and advocated for as well. The former Christie administration committed to the closure in December 2017, planning to replace existing large secure facilities with smaller, state-of-the-art regional facilities that are closer to the homes of these juveniles. Smaller, treatment-intensive, developmentally appropriate facilities, will allow for the delivery of therapeutic wrap-around services in a non-institutional environment, as recommended by national experts such as the National Institute of Justice and Casey Foundation. Closing Jamesburg is projected to save approximately $20 million a year, which should be applied to therapeutic and delinquency prevention services. We need to make sure that investment happens!

For more information, contact Mary Coogan at mcoogan@acnj.org

BLOG: What a Fantastic Week for Babies!

Posted on October 24, 2018

Cecilia Zalkind
ACNJ Pres/CEO

Last week was a fantastic week for babies!

We had some big wins recently, thanks to your advocacy. I could not let another day go by without recapping what happened and thanking all of you for everything you did to produce the results for New Jersey’s littlest residents.

First, Governor Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy and Department of Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson issued a joint announcement about how $38 million in new federal funds will be used. $30 million is targeted to raise child care subsidy rates, the first meaningful increase in more than 10 years, with the greatest increase – 25 percent – for programs caring for babies. Infant programs will also receive a higher rate for quality improvements through Grow NJ Kids. While this does not bring infant programs into full parity, it is a great step forward in addressing some of the disincentives that have made high-quality child care for babies in such short supply.

The remaining $8 million is targeted to help programs come into compliance with licensing requirements and/or to improve quality. I am particularly excited by the $1.2 million that was set aside to develop more child care for babies. Since completing our 2017 reports on the cost of child care quality and the lack of capacity for infant care, ACNJ mounted a targeted campaign to develop more options for infant care, particularly for families relying on child care vouchers. Now, more babies will get the quality and affordable care that they deserve. This is a win!

On Wednesday, the 17th, ACNJ brought independent consultant Louise Stoney to NJ to meet with a number of policymakers and advocates. A national expert on child care financing, Louise engaged her audiences with new approaches to child care funding. She met with foundations, legislative staff and representatives from the governor’s office, as well as our Think Babies Coalition.

On Thursday, the 18th, Louise testified at a hearing on child care before the Assembly Women and Children’s Issues Committee (AWI). Her ideas about shared services, tax credits and other strategies generated a lot of interest. ACNJ helped organize the hearing on child care, which featured parents, child care providers and other advocates, as well as DHS Commissioner Johnson. Monique Baptiste, a parent and great advocate from Newark, provided very compelling testimony on the challenges of finding child care, bringing the room to tears. Thanks go to Assemblywoman Mosquera, chair of the committee, for her leadership.

On Saturday, the 20th, ACNJ participated in the 1st Annual Essex County Prenatal to 3 Summit, which was sponsored by several legislators and featured Lt. Governor, Sheila Oliver. Pictures from these events are on the ACNJ Facebook page.

Finally, we are gearing up for our 3rd annual breakfast celebration! Supporters, advocates and staff are gathering at the Clubhouse at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth on December 5th to celebrate big wins for kids, reminisce about the past 40 years ACNJ has been in existence, and look ahead to our future. Reserve your seats today!

We are already planning our next steps – we don’t want to lose momentum – but I want to celebrate these wins and to acknowledge the remarkable ACNJ staff for their dedicated advocacy. Right from the Start NJ/Think Babies team – Diane Dellanno, Cynthia Rice, Patricia Canning and Hannah Korn-Heilner – you guys rock!

Big Win for Kids: $38 Million for Child Care

Posted on October 16, 2018

For years, ACNJ has focused on improving the availability and quality of child care for New Jersey’s youngest and most vulnerable children. Child care is the first education experience most children have, but for too long, it has been underfunded and underinvested, especially for babies. ACNJ’s advocacy efforts have paid off!  The Department of Human Services announced today an expansion of funding for child care by $38 million, with infant care as a priority. This is a great step forward in building a strong, high-quality child care system in our state. Read press release.

ACNJ would like to thank Department of Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson for her leadership. Commissioner Johnson has listened to the concerns of child care stakeholders throughout the state and made it a top priority for the Department.

The new proposal will help move the state forward on three key issue areas that ACNJ has highlighted:

  • Low overall subsidy rates for child care providers, especially for infants
    The plan will increase reimbursement rates across the board, with higher increases for infant ($904/month) and toddler care ($761/month.)
  • Few available child care seats for infants and toddlers
    The plan will add $1.2 million for incentives to centers that create new infant care seats.
  • Limited supports for providing high-quality care
    The plan will add $6.8 million for grants to help providers improve quality and participate in the Grow NJ Kids quality rating system.

From the #NJVotes4Kids campaign to Strolling Thunder to our Right From the Start NJ campaign, ACNJ and our partners have advocated to make the lives of babies a priority for our lawmakers. Thanks to the efforts of our Think Babies coalition partners, the NJ Department of Human Services, and parents and families throughout the state, New Jersey is on the path to a sustainable child care system that fully supports babies and their families.

There is much work ahead for us, and this plan is only a partial solution. But we should take time to celebrate this huge win for New Jersey’s youngest children and their families.

Participants in ACNJ’s Advocacy Training Make the Case for Child Care

Posted on October 5, 2018

This summer, ACNJ began a series of advocacy trainings to teach parents and providers the skills they need to become effective advocates for affordable high-quality child care. We held three trainings across the state in Newark, Trenton and Camden. The trainings were so popular, we have begun to expand our reach this fall, offering another training in Paterson last week and one in Toms River next week. We have had such an overwhelming response to the trainings, participants are excited to become involved in our campaign advocacy efforts! Read stories from two of our amazing advocates sharing their experiences.

From left to Right Patricia Canning (ACNJ Right From the Start NJ coordinator), Congressman Donald Payne, Ashanti Jones (Parent/Advocate), Cecilia Zalkind (ACNJ president/CEO)

Meet Ashanti Jones, mother of a 1-year old boy. As a first-time mother, Ashanti wanted to find a high-quality child care center to send her son where she felt he would be in a safe environment to learn and grow. When she started visiting child care centers, she realized the high cost of quality — one center cost $337 a week! Ashanti visited more affordable child care centers, but they were just not up to par. In the end, she and her husband made the difficult decision for her husband to leave his job and stay home with their baby.

Ashanti knew she had to do something to address the lack of affordable high-quality child care in New Jersey. This past May, she attended Strolling Thunder NJ, along with parents and babies from the South Ward Children’s Alliance in Newark where she works, to bring attention to this issue. Afterwards, she attended ACNJ’s advocacy training in July and accompanied ACNJ staff to a meeting with Congressman Donald Payne in August to share her story and advocate for more affordable high-quality child care.

Ashanti said that ACNJ’s advocacy training helped prepare her for the meeting with Congressman Payne. She said, “The material was easy to understand and it allowed us to finally identify what our issues were. It allowed parents to identify their voice and how to make sure what they have to say does not fall on deaf ears. I loved how applicable the material was for anyone in any facet of childcare, whether they were parents, advocates or providers, the material was streamlined to address each view. I left the training empowered and equipped to become a change agent for our babies and kids.”

Digna Townsend (Congressman Donald Norcross aide), Keisha Wright-Daniel (Director of Child Care Center in Pennsauken), Cynthia Rice (ACNJ Policy Analyst)

Meet Keisha Wright-Daniel, director of child care center in Pennsauken. She attended ACNJ’s advocacy training in Camden in August along with a few of her staff members. Keisha loves her job and is passionate about providing affordable high-quality child care for babies. About 98% of her families receive subsidies to help pay for their child care costs, however the subsidies do not cover the cost of high-quality care. To ensure she is still providing the best care for the children, as well as retaining her staff, Keisha took less money for herself. Eventually, she had to take on a second job since she has kids of her own that she has to take care of. Keisha accompanied ACNJ staff to a meeting at Congressman Donald Norcross’s office in September to share her story. She shared that through these experiences, she is “hopeful that early childhood education will become a priority. Children are entitled to quality environments where parents and teachers are less stressed. Only then will they thrive.”

ACNJ wants to thank all of our wonderful advocates for participating in our advocacy trainings. While we have data, we need your stories to help enhance our advocacy efforts!

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A Millennial’s View on Child Care Options

Posted on October 5, 2018

The other night, over dinner, my roommate and I started discussing our plans to have children. However, this was not the usual talk of how many kids we wanted or if we wanted a boy or a girl. Instead, we were trying to figure out at what age we would need to have kids so that our parents could still care for them.

We are not the only ones having this conversation. Many of our other millennial friends who plan on having children are wondering how they will be able to afford child care.

After spending the past year analyzing data about child care in New Jersey and speaking with parents about the challenges of finding and affording high-quality child care, I now understand why.

Recently, the New York Times published an article about Americans having less children. They surveyed young adults and found the top three reason people were not having any children was the high cost of child care. Of those surveyed who have a child but said they would have fewer children than they wanted, the cost of child care was the number one reason.

New Jersey has one of the worst rates for infant care in the nation. In Union County, where I live, the median weekly cost of child care for an infant is $246.

In ACNJ’s focus groups and conversations with parents, many expressed frustration and desperation at the costs of child care. One mother equated what she paid in child care to the cost of attending college. Another mother said it cost more than her rent. Many parents told us that most, if not all, of their salary went to child care. Even higher-income parents confided that they were struggling to pay.

With such limited affordable high-quality options, many of the mothers we spoke with chose to quit their jobs and stay home with their baby rather than pay for child care. But in the long run, is this really the most economical option for families?

The Center for American Progress created a tool to help families calculate how much earnings they would lose if they exited the workforce to care for their children. The calculator combines total earning loss, including your current salary, salary growth and retirement savings. If I have a baby in the next year and take three years off of work, I will lose about $423,000 over my lifetime compared to about $33,000 I would have paid in child care over three years.

This puts parents in a tricky situation. Do you pay for child care and struggle to make ends meet, or do you quit your job to stay home and lose out on years on savings?

An increasing number of parents are fortunate to rely on grandparents for care as the solution. In fact, last year, the national nonprofit ZERO TO THREE reported that grandparent care is now one of the most common methods of child care. Grandparent care may be the most cost-effective solution, especially for millennials who are facing high costs of living, low wages and often large student debt.

But what about families that do not have parents, family or friends to rely on? What is the solution for them?

In New Jersey, there is only enough space in child care centers for 27 percent of infants and toddlers with working parents. In one of the focus groups, a mother said she called her local child care center to reserve a spot as soon as she found out she was pregnant!

However, finding a high-quality center is even more difficult. Of the more than 1,700 centers that are licensed to serve infants and toddlers, only 41 have been quality rated. In our focus groups, parents recounted horror stories of babies being left in classrooms alone and illnesses and injuries that went unnoticed.

A year ago, I would not have factored child care into my decision to have children. But like many millennials, I’ve come to the realization that I need to think about child care when planning on having children. As the data and stories show, I cannot count on finding an affordable high-quality center to send my baby to.

Millennials are often faulted for being too dependent on their parents, but looking at the state of child care, do we have any other options?