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Join the Celebration! Sustaining the Essential Role of the Caregiver

Posted on October 15, 2021

From October 18th to October 22nd, ACNJ and our partners will be elevating the importance of supporting babies and their caretakers. This year’s theme is “Sustaining the Essential Role of the Caregiver.” Caregivers have been essential in the lives of our youngest, ensuring their social-emotional well-being while struggling through a pandemic themselves. We want to say thank you, and work together to ensure that these individuals receive the support they need while they support the early development of young minds.

Join in the celebration! Post on social media and use the hashtag #CelebrateBabiesWeek2021 to join the conversation. Don't forget to tag us @ACNJForKids! Check out the sample social media messages below.

View the Recording of
Pandemic Stress: Supporting Young Children, Families, and the Early Childhood Workforce

Social Media Posts By ACNJ

New social media posts will be added daily starting on October 18th that you can share with your followers. Follow ACNJ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to see the posts first!

Celebrate Babies Week 2021 is in partnership with Montclair State University - Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health (CAECMH), New Jersey Association for Infant Mental Health (NJ-AIMH), SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, The Coalition of Infant/Toddler Educators (CITE), New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children (NJAEYC), New Jersey Breastfeeding Coalition, and the New Jersey Association for Play Therapy.

Your Advocacy In Action – Plans for $700 Million in Federal Funds for Child Care Announced

Posted on October 13, 2021

Today, Governor Phil Murphy, along with Department of Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman and Assistant Commissioner Natasha Johnson, announced a plan detailing how the nearly $700 million American Rescue Plan dollars will be used to help both parents and child care providers:
  • All parent co-pays for child care subsidies will be waived through the end of 2023;
  • The additional $300 per month per child subsidy payment will continue until the end of 2023 to eliminate additional parent co-pay and help programs cover costs;
  • $1,000 recruitment bonuses will be provided to newly hired child care staff and $1,000 retention bonuses to those who have continued employment. This will be repeated again in six months;
  • Center-based programs can apply for stabilization grants of $20,000 - $80,000 for a range of uses, including increased wages and facilities improvements. Family child care homes are eligible for grants of $2,000. These grants are open to programs that accept child care subsidies and those that do not;
  • Family child care providers will be eligible for tiered reimbursement if rated in Grow NJ Kids (GNJK); and
  • Incentives will be provided to centers and family child care homes to develop child care for evenings, weekends and other non-traditional hours.

ACNJ wishes to highlight the work of advocates Meghan Tavormina, Shirnet Fray Palmer, Cynthia Soete, Winifred Smith Jenkins and Keisha Daniel Wright, who each tirelessly authored op-eds, participated in news interviews, offered testimony and attended webinars calling for the need to support child care through the pandemic and beyond.

Importantly, this monumental goal would not have been achieved without the voices and advocacy of all the parents, child care providers and other advocates who participated in town halls, signed petitions and shared action alerts helped to move these funds forward. You helped to elevate the voice of our youngest residents and ensured that those who care for them are well supported!

Thank you for joining us as we continue to #ReimagineChildCare and make New Jersey the safest, healthiest and most supportive place to raise a family.

Where to Watch the Final Gubernatorial Debate Tonight

Posted on October 12, 2021

The final governor's debate is happening on October 12th between major party candidates Jack Ciattarelli and incumbent Phil Murphy! Watch live at 8:00 PM as Ciattarelli and Murphy square off at Rowan University on the Glassboro campus.

You can view and listen to the livestream at:

Be informed. Download our 2021 Election Guide, where we break down important issue areas relevant to our state's youngest residents. Early voting runs from Saturday, October 23rd through Sunday, October 31. Election day is November 2nd.

Join the conversation! ACNJ will also be live-tweeting during the debate. Use the hashtags #NJGovDebate and #NJVotes4Kids so that we can get candidates to address New Jersey's persistent child care crisis and what babies need to support their healthy growth and development. Here are some messages to get you started.

Share this Child Care Petition Flyer

Posted on October 7, 2021

In April 2021, New Jersey received nearly $700 million in federal funds for child care through the American Rescue Plan. Despite the continued staffing and financial crises rocking the industry, those funds have yet to be released. Print this petition and share with parents and your network. They can access the online petition by scanning the QR code or simply visiting this link. Tell Governor Murphy to release federal funds NOW.

Download PDF