What’s New?

ACNJ 7th Annual Breakfast Celebration

Posted on December 13, 2022

It was wonderful seeing new and familiar faces at ACNJ's annual breakfast last week! More than 275 people celebrated with us! In addition to recognizing ACNJ’s wins for children, the event included raffle prizes, special remarks from Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz who energized the audience and a thought-provoking panel focused on the mental health of youth. The topic of this year’s program couldn’t have been more timely, and the speakers were phenomenal. If you missed the event, click here to watch the full recording.

View pictures from ACNJ's breakfast celebration.

View highlight video, a look back at 2022, narrated by Ceil's grandkids, or watch the full recording of the event below.

Special thanks to the panelists: Dr. Jazmin Reyes-Portillo, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Youth Mental Health Services Lab at Montclair State University, Tracy Parris-Benjamin, Director, Clinical Design Community Health at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, and David Adams, CEO of the Urban Assembly. This event also would not be possible without our generous supporters including our sponsors and raffle prize donors.

Deadline for Pandemic-Related Compensatory Education Discussions Approaching

Posted on December 7, 2022

Important reminder: Schools must meet with parents of children with disabilities by Dec. 31st to discuss pandemic-related compensatory education.

As a result of the pandemic-related school closures between March 18, 2020 and September 1, 2021, many New Jersey students with disabilities suffered profound learning loss. Often, they did not receive the necessary appropriate school-based education services and therapies for extended periods of time. Per the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and New Jersey education laws, school districts were mandated to provide compensatory education to students with disabilities to make up for the services districts failed to provide during the pandemic. These were services that the students were entitled to and required to reach their individualized goals.

Compensatory education services should be provided for students to achieve the goals they would have accomplished if they received the necessary services. Compensatory education services include but are not limited to school-based therapies, one-on-one tutoring by certified staff, summer school, placement in out-of-district programs, a monetary fund for education services outside of the public school and services after high school graduation.

On March 3, 2022, Governor Murphy signed into law a bill to address potential claims for compensatory education services. The claims must be based upon services children received between March 18, 2020 and September 1, 2021 due to the pandemic-related school closures.

This law states:

  • Parents can file a complaint for compensatory education services with the New Jersey Department of Education up until September 1, 2023.
    • Parents should first try to resolve these issues with their school districts.
    • The complaint, known as a Due Process Petition, may be filed online through the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) website or by mail.
  • School districts must meet with parents at an IEP meeting by December 31, 2022 to discuss the need for compensatory education.
    • If parents have not yet been invited to an IEP meeting to discuss compensatory education, parents should immediately write to their child study teams to request an IEP meeting.
    • Parents can file for Due Process if their school districts do not meet with them.

For more information and assistance, contact Nina Peckman, Staff Attorney, at npeckman@acnj.org or 973-643-3876, ext. 226

ACNJ Celebrates Wins for Kids (2022 Annual Report and Breakfast Celebration)

Posted on December 7, 2022

View our 2022 Wins for Children 

As we reflect on this year’s achievements, and look to opportunities ahead, we know our wins for children would not be possible without our many supporters and partners. Please consider making a donation to help us continue our work to ensure every child has the chance to grow up safe, healthy and educated.

2022acnjannualreportred

Download 2022 Annual Report
View ACNJ 2022 Highlight Video
Donate

Urge Congress to Tackle New Jersey’s Child Care Crisis!

Posted on December 6, 2022

“How can we continue to pay our staff competitive wages and pay higher costs in all areas without pricing ourselves out of reach from the families who so desperately need us? The economics are clearly not working," says owner and Director of Peppermint Tree Child Development Center Valerie Frost-Lewis, sharing her concerns regarding the high costs of child care in New Jersey.

New Jersey’s child care system is still in crisis. A federal investment in child care funding is necessary to keep the system from crumbling further.

We must reimagine child care - New Jersey’s Congressional leaders must support an increase in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funding to make this happen!

Let Congress know NOW the challenges New Jersey’s child care system faces. Fill out the form below and urge them for more funding.

Register: Webinar on Family First Prevention Services Act Hosted in Partnership with NJDCF

Posted on December 1, 2022

In 2018, the federal government enacted the Family First Prevention Services Act to begin to shift federal support for child- and family-serving systems towards proactive, prevention-oriented services and supports, which are available to all families, regardless of their status within their jurisdiction's child protective services agency. New Jersey has long been a leader in prevention-oriented programming, and we now have an opportunity to connect our efforts to federal funding and support. We are working towards submitting New Jersey's Family First Five-year prevention plan to the federal government by the end of January 2023. Please join us to learn more.

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