Science tell us that what happens between birth to 3 -- when a baby's brain grows the fastest -- lays the foundation for the rest of a child’s life. New Jersey needs policies that support parents with young children during this time of rapid development to unlock the potential of every child in New Jersey to grow up healthy, safe and educated. But to make change for babies, state leaders want to hear from parents!
Are you a parent, guardian or grandparent of a child ages 0 to 5 willing to commit to be a voice for parents of young children? Participate in a training that will help you understand the system and strengthen your skills to tell YOUR story to policymakers. Register for one of our three scheduled sessions in the form below.
We value your time! Participants that complete a 2-day session will receive an e-book on how to find your roar, a certificate of completion and a $100 gift card.
During the week of October 19, ACNJ and partners hosted Celebrate Babies Week! 2020's theme was “Embracing the Essential Role of the Caregiver.” During the pandemic, our caregivers have been essential workers, supporting the social and emotional growth of our babies every day during a stressful time. Let’s celebrate the important role caregivers play in fostering the emotional health of babies every day! The strong relationships they form early in life will have a lasting effect on how they grow up as adults.
Webinar: On Friday, October 23rd, ACNJ held a webinar with Dr. Gerard Costa, Director of the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health at Montclair State University, as he discusses the science behind the essential role of the caregiver in all aspects of infant and toddler development, health and well-being. View the recording.
Advocates from across the state attended our informative webinar, brought to you in partnership with the New Jersey PTA and National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), that described the steps parents can take in bringing preschool to your community!
New Jersey’s FY2021 budget included an additional $10 million to expand our nationally recognized state-funded preschool to more eligible communities. This funding recognizes the critical importance of high-quality preschool as the foundation for students’ success in school and in life -- and our state wants more 3- and 4-year-olds to have this advantage.
Although most districts are currently struggling with how best to provide equitable education to their current students in light of COVID-19, eligible districts should still take advantage of this opportunity and apply. Funding is available, but it is limited.
School districts received eligibility letters from the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) on October 23rd and were told that if a district wants to apply to the preschool funding, they need to attend a mandatory Zoom technical assistance meeting.
See if your district is eligible by checking this list;
If your district is eligible, call your superintendent, other school administrators and your school board members to urge them to attend one of the DOE technical assistance meetings and do everything they can to bring preschool to your community.
Questions? Contact Cynthia Rice at Advocates for Children of New Jersey at crice@acnj.org
Register for the final webinar at stockton.edu/child-welfare-education-institute/tfcan.html
The NJ Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect and the NJ Department of Children and Families (NJDCF) have partnered with the Child Welfare Education Institute at Stockton University to hold a series of Conversations about Race and Racism in Child Welfare. Through these conversations, attendees are learning about the history of race and racism in New Jersey and gaining a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of racial disparities in child welfare settings. This will allow us to take steps to correct the institutional and implicit biases that can result in disparate outcomes for families of color within New Jersey’s child welfare system.
The last webinar, "How Can We Respond?", on Friday, October 30th, 10AM - 12PM, will address racial disparities in New Jersey and the response to these disparities by the NJDCF. The featured panelist, Dr. Carol Spigner, Associate Professor Emerita, University of Pennsylvania, is assisting the NJDCF staff to develop and implement a race equity strategy to address racial disparities in the child welfare system. Though conversations are open to the public, talks are geared towards child protection professionals, medical professionals, education professionals and community providers. Eligible participants can receive 2.0 Cultural Competency Hours of Continuing Education (CE). You can still register until Wednesday, October 28th.
In the first conversation, "Race and Racism in New Jersey”, Dr. Patricia Reid-Merritt, distinguished professor at Stockton University, outlined the four steps that each and every one of us needs to take in order to end the perpetuation of systemic racism in our child welfare settings: acknowledge that a problem exists, educateyourself on the issues, take progressiveaction, and remain fully engaged for the duration of the struggle. Only then can we move forward as individuals, and as a state.
Last week’s conversation was with Dr. Jessica Pryce,assistant professor at Florida State University, who talked about how the child welfare system evolved, and how many people, often with good intentions, created a system in which Black children continue to be over-represented. She articulated the basic tenets of the system we need to create, shifting the power dynamics between the system and the families, if we are to achieve better outcomes. New Jersey has a real opportunity to create a different child welfare system, one that shares the power and partners with families, listens to families and emphasizes family strengths and protective factors; a system that facilitates accessing concrete supports. It may not be easy and it will take time, but change is needed and can be done.
The momentum is building for real change towards achieving racial equity within the state’s child welfare system. Stay engaged. Go to the NJDCF website and read about the plans underway and continue to look at the data. We all have a role in this process and need to work together to bring about real change for families.
Remember to register for the final webinar, “How Can We Respond?” before October 28th and learn how you can play a part in ending racism in New Jersey.
Find the latest race data by county on:
