Posted on May 22, 2025
Addressing the funding shortfall to New Jersey's Child Care Assistance Program is a critical investment in New Jersey’s children, families, and economy. To learn more, read the policy brief by Winifred Smith-Jenkins, which explores the importance of this investment to support New Jersey’s future.
Posted on May 7, 2025
This is video 4 of the Y.E.S. (Youth Expert Stakeholders) video Series.
Anfry’s story makes it clear: Relationships play a powerful role in youth development and success. It truly takes a village to raise a youth, and caring positive adult role models at school or at a faith-based program can be an invaluable resource in a child’s social-emotional character development. These trained professionals can help guide a child to stay in school, learn healthy behaviors and develop the skills necessary to build resilience and even mental and spiritual wellness. Social-emotional character development is a whole-child approach that builds capacity for positive relationships and emotional responses.
Anfry came to America at a young age from the Dominican Republic, and he found adapting to life in a new country to be a challenge.
Anfry: “It wasn't expected for me to move out of a different country and come into a new environment where I would have to obviously adapt to a different form of government structure and language barrier. Some of the challenges included adapting to the adverse environment that I had been introduced to and the people that I had to come in contact with."
Yet, the bilingual courses offered at Anfry’s middle school gave him the foundation he needed in order to adjust and also succeed at academics.
Anfry: “The school that I went to provided the opportunity of bilingual courses. So that’s where I started off at, taking bilingual courses from 6th grade to 7th grade. Then moving on to my 8th grade year, I already was equipped enough to be able to take courses with those who speak fluent English fluently. It was really helpful.
The encouragement of caring teachers who went out of their way to make a connection with Anfry made a significant difference and impact on his life.
Anfry: "Mr Reese was a really good professor because I wasn't that much of an academic student growing up, especially when it came to math. But Mr Reese was real lenient with me through the process, through the journey of it. So he definitely helped me grow and mature as well as finding my interests and my common ground. He was not just doing just a job for money but also doing it out of care and respect."
Despite the academic support, Anfry still had a hard time at school, but support from his peers inspired him to work towards improving his grades.
Anfry: "Freshman year started off rocky, I was not necessarily an academically, disciplined student, but towards the end of my freshman year, I had came across somebody who helped me get back on track academically. My girlfriend was far more academically disciplined than me, so when she had showed me her grades, we had a conversation, it actually inspired me to want to do better for myself."
As Anfry matured and faced growing pains and other adverse experiences, he learned to lean on his faith and the faith-based youth organization, UrbanPromise Trenton, to stay steady.
Anfry: "Moving on to college a downturn happened, but then that's when eventually encountering my faith in college really empowered me and helped me grow up much more maturely in eloquence, and the choices and decisions that I chose to make in the way that I live my life as well."
"UrbanPromise Trenton focused on helping us grow and mature, as leaders, to grow academically, be able to grow financially, even if it was not much they still taught us, teaching us the basic things of financial literacy, and spirituality as well, too."
At UrbanPromise Trenton, Anfry was inspired by the kindness and guidance of the organization’s Street Leader director to live a more positive life. Her intervention helped Anfry become a youth leader in the organization, and to develop the skills he needed to build towards a positive life.
Anfry: "Her name is Ms. Elise, she looked out for me… she herself attended college as well too, so she looked out from the perspective of like Mr Reese, with friendship. She's developing that friendship, personal relationship with the youth….so just developing that with them is really what encourages you. The things that you watch them do."
It truly takes a village to raise a youth, and caring positive adult role models at school or at a faith-based program can be an invaluable resource in a child’s personal development. These trained professionals can help guide a child to stay in school, learn healthy behaviors and develop the skills necessary to build resilience and even mental and spiritual wellness.
Posted on April 22, 2025
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Posted on April 17, 2025
Winifred testifies asking state to fund Division of Family Development’s budget fully to secure child care for New Jersey's families.
To: Chairman Sarlo and Members of the Senate Budget Committee
From: Winifred Smith-Jenkins, Ed. D, Director of Early Learning for Policy and Advocacy
Date: April 10, 2025
Re: Testimony of Advocates for Children of New Jersey on the Fiscal Year 2026 State Budget
Good afternoon, Chairman Sarlo and Members of the Senate Budget Committee.
My name is Winifred Smith-Jenkins, and I serve as the Director of Early Learning for Policy and Advocacy at Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ). Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on the Fiscal Year 2026 State Budget.
ACNJ appreciates the Administration and Legislature’s continued commitment to children and families. Your investments—such as the state child tax credit, NJ Family Care, pre-K to 12th grade education funding, support for food security programs, and the strengthening of maternal health and home visiting services—reflect a deep dedication to ensuring all children in New Jersey have the opportunity to thrive.
However, realizing that vision requires continued, strategic investment, especially in the Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development Child Care Assistance Program, which thousands of working families with children between the ages of 0 and 13 rely on every day.
Child care, after-school, and summer camp programs across New Jersey continue to face a severe workforce shortage, which limits their ability to serve families. Despite signs of broader economic recovery, child care employment is still 8% below pre-pandemic levels (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024). This staffing gap means classrooms remain closed, families are stuck on waitlists, and employers across many industries face higher absenteeism and lower productivity—all of which hurt our economy.
The New Jersey Child Care Assistance Program is a lifeline for many low-income families. It enables parents to work while ensuring their children are in safe, nurturing environments. But this system is at a breaking point. The proposed budget supports subsidies for only 70,000 children. At the same time, the number of eligible families continues to grow and does not reflect the established pace of service expansion. Seasonal enrollment surges—especially during summer months—only add to the pressure. And if the federal government implements a new work requirement for Medicaid recipients, the demand will increase even more.
In addition, new federal regulations will require states to begin making prospective payments to child care, after-school, and summer programs in 2026, paying them up front rather than after services are delivered. While this is a positive move for stabilizing these businesses, implementing it effectively will require careful planning, system upgrades, and provider support.
Without full funding, New Jersey will struggle with the thoughtful implementation required to meet the new requirements and will not have the time to adequately support the providers tasked with doing this work. A $20 million shortfall in the DFD’s budget would mean fewer children served, more parents unable to work, and added strain on already stretched-thin providers.
The solution is straightforward: fully fund DFD’s budget.
This is more than just a fiscal decision—it’s a reflection of our values. Full funding means we protect access to care and education for children and families in need, support New Jersey’s workforce, comply with federal standards, and invest in a child care system that is stable, equitable, and essential for our shared future.
Thank you for your time and your continued commitment to the children and families of New Jersey.
