What’s New?

#NJVotes4Kids Video Contest: And the Winners are…

Posted on October 31, 2023

ACNJ is excited to announce the winners of the #NJVotes4Kids video contest! We received wonderful submissions from students across the state about issues that matter to them and why it is important to vote.

And the winners are...

Grades 3-5

  • 1st place:
    Zyan Siddiqui, Gr. 3, Sussex County
  • 2nd place:
    Maryam Haq, Gr. 3, Ocean County

Grades 6-8

  • 1st place:
    Elliana Norman and Alanis James, Gr. 8, Salem County (Collaboration)
  • Tied for 2nd place:
    Ziva Damille, Gr. 6, Essex County

    Victoria Egbukonye, Gr. 6, Essex County

Grades 9-12

  • 1st place:
    Barnel Paul, Gr. 12, Essex County and Angelina Pallotta, Gr. 12, Bergen County (Collaboration)
  • Tied for 2nd place:
    Michelle Lee, Gr. 9, Morris County

    Katherine Wulf, Gr. 10, Warren County

Preschool Expansion Coming to 26 New School Districts!

Posted on October 23, 2023

Governor Murphy just announced 26 New Jersey school districts will receive funding to expand their public preschool programs. The expansion aid will add at least 1,715 new pre-K seats. Click here to read more from Gov. Murphy's news release.

List of 26 school districts benefiting from Preschool Expansion Aid:

Bergen County
Carlstadt: $442,304

Burlington County
Florence: $779,670
Hainesport: $580,560
Medford: $2,110,872

Camden County
Cherry Hill: $3,417,615
Magnolia: $291,060

Cape May County
West Cape May: $166,752

Gloucester County
Elk Township: $1,100,962

Hunterdon County
Clinton-Glen Gardner: $607,248
Clinton Township: $966,030
East Amwell: $520,170
Flemington-Raritan: $1,228,968
Franklin Township: $356,688
Frenchtown: $428,904
Readington: $1,522,410

Middlesex County
Dunellen: $444,180
Highland Park: $559,308

Monmouth County
Oceanport: $513,415

Morris County
Mine Hill: $850,906

Ocean County
Lacey Township: $3,323,279

Sussex County
Hardyston: $654,795
Lafayette: $378,326
Sparta: $1,076,774
Sussex-Wantage: $2,159,064

Union County
Garwood: $195,078

Warren County
Washington Township: $227,792

A strong early care and education system that includes high-quality preschool provides young children with the educational foundation they need to be successful in kindergarten and beyond. For more than 20 years, New Jersey’s nationally recognized preschool program has served thousands of young children throughout the state.

Since 2017, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) has made significant investments in expanding preschool to additional districts. State-funded preschool is offered in some school districts— but not all. However, that number has been growing. View list of existing districts with expanded public preschool (excluding the recent 26 districts).

In partnership with the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), we developed a roadmap and advocacy tools as well as facilitated webinars to help bring public preschool to more communities.

If your school district does not offer full-day, public preschool and you want to get involved, start the conversion now because planning takes time. Take a look at the preschool expansion toolkit.

Have questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us at advocates@acnj.org.

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Let's ask our future lawmakers legislators where they stand when it comes to giving 3- and 4-year-olds a strong start. #NJVotes4Kids

The fight to bring full-day, public preschool  to more communities has been a long road but an increasing number of towns are now benefiting from this early learning opportunity. This November 2023, all seats in the New Jersey Senate and Assembly are up for election. Let's ask our future lawmakers legislators where they stand when it comes to giving 3- and 4-year-olds a strong start.

Did you know that NJ’s number of uninsured children continues to drop?

Posted on October 6, 2023

Alena Siddiqui Data Analyst

By Alena Siddiqui

For more information on this topic or kids count data, contact Alena at asiddiqui@acnj.org

Did You Know Blog Banner

Taking care of one's own health plus a child’s health is important but very costly if you do not have health insurance. Expenses like doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, and hospital visits come with a hefty price tag that can quickly take up a large share of a family's income. Unfortunately, many lower-income families with children have to deal with the financial burden of paying for medical expenses while also ensuring they can access quality healthcare for their children.

A great option for lower-income families is New Jersey’s state-funded health insurance program, NJ FamilyCare. The goal of this program is to provide affordable health insurance to New Jersey residents. Data from ACNJ’s NJ Kids Count 2023 report shows that 885,881 children under 19 were receiving NJ FamilyCare in March of 2022, a 10% increase from 2018. Some counties saw this number grow at an even faster rate. During the same time period, the number of Ocean County children enrolled in NJ FamilyCare increased by an impressive 25% while Bergen saw an increase of 17%.

The number of children receiving NJ FamilyCare is continuing to grow. The March 2023 data shows 934,905 children were enrolled, a 6% increase from the previous year. According to NJ FamilyCare’s eligibility dashboard, in March 2023, 41% of beneficiaries enrolled in the health insurance program were children.

The number of
uninsured children
in New Jersey
continues
to decrease.

As of March 2023

934,905

children were enrolled
in NJ FamilyCare.
Find more data on New Jersey children.

Helping to reduce the number of children without health insurance, is a state priority.  The Cover All Kids Initiative, which became law in 2021, aims to provide healthcare to all uninsured children under 19 in New Jersey. Phase 1 was completed in July 2021 while Phase 2 started in January 2023. The goal of Phase 1 was to eliminate premiums and waiting periods. Phase 2 aims to expand coverage to all children under 19 regardless of their immigration status.

If you know a family that is in need of health insurance they can visit NJFamilyCare.org to learn more.

Read our latest updates on child health.

Webinar: Early Relational Health is Everyone’s Business! (Celebrate Babies Week 2023)

Posted on October 4, 2023

Did you know that learning begins with relationships?

What happens during the first few years of a baby’s life can set the stage for future development - the bonds they create, their ability to manage emotions, and how they experience the world around them. Join our webinar as we raise awareness on Early Relational Health (ERH) and opportunities to advance ERH state policies and programs in New Jersey.

On October 17,  nearly 250 participants joined a webinar is hosted by ACNJ in partnership with the Burke Foundation, the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Development at Montclair State University, and the New Jersey Association for Infant Mental Health as part of Celebrate Babies Week 2023. Guest panelists included

  • National expert Dr. Junlei Li, Co-Chair, Human Development and Education; Saul Zaentz Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education, Harvard University Graduate School of Education
  • Dr. Kaitlin Mulcahy, Director, Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health at Montclair State University
  • Kashieka Phillips, Parent Advocate of the Parent Leadership Council

TAKE ACTION: Urge your congressional leaders to support the Child Care Stabilization Act

Posted on September 15, 2023

Attention Child Care Programs and Working Families!

Congresswoman Sherrill introduces bill to avert the child care cliff crisisOn September 13th, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), along with other members of the House and Senate, introduced the Child Care Stabilization Act, which will extend significant federal grants to child care programs in New Jersey and throughout the United States. The legislation guarantees that these programs - essential to working families and the economy- do not experience the devastating effect of a looming “funding cliff” when the federal COVID funding expires at the end of September.

A recent report by the Century Foundation estimates that in New Jersey, more than 1,300 child care centers might close, impacting more than 100,000 children who need care and New Jersey parents could lose $378.5 million in earnings.

This just cannot happen.

Urge your members of Congress in both the House and the Senate to support working families and their children by becoming a co-sponsor the Child Care Stabilization Act.

Don’t hesitate—the end of the month is fast approaching!