What’s New?

ACNJ Testimony on Proposed State FY2022 Budget

Posted on March 23, 2021

The Governor’s commitment to a fair and equitable State recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for children and families is reflected in his proposed FY2022 budget. Much-needed additional funding for such programs for schools, public health, school aid, child care, and tax assistance for families will help to minimize the impact of the pandemic now and in the months ahead while providing funding to ensure that the needed systems are in-place to support our state’s economic recovery.

The proposed funding commitments to our youngest children is encouraging, specifically in preschool expansion, child care, home visitation, child dependent tax credit, and supports to Nurture NJ.

As we begin the second year of the pandemic, critical systems that support children, families and our state economy have been and continue to be in crisis. One of those systems that remains in peril is child care. The following testimony includes recommendations that ACNJ believes are critical in ensuring that the economy, working families and children can benefit from a stronger, more stable child care system.

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Celebrate Social and Emotional Learning Day This Friday, March 26th

Posted on March 22, 2021

#SELDayThe last Friday in March, this year on March 26th, is Social And Emotional Learning (SEL) Day, providing an excellent opportunity to support integrating evidence-based SEL in our schools, organizations and community.

SEL is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. SEL improves academic outcomes, builds a positive school climate and provides children with the necessary skills to excel in today’s workforce.

Much like physical development, we need to foster social and emotional health by ensuring a full spectrum of services, from prevention to intervention to treatment, is available to address children’s mental health needs. Research demonstrates that early prevention and treatment are more beneficial and cost-effective than attempting to treat emotional difficulties and their effects on learning and health after they become serious.

At the request of the New Jersey Association of School Psychologists (NJASP), Governor Murphy and Lt. Governor Oliver signed a proclamation recognizing the importance of the day and encouraging the community to educate others on  SEL.

Sign up for SEL Day on March 26 to help showcase, promote, advocate for and support SEL in your school and community. Share on social media with the hashtag #SELday and help spread the word about what SEL is and why it’s so critical!

For more information about social and emotional learning visit www.SEL4NJ.org and www.NJASP.org

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Webinar on State and Federal Child Care Funding: What You Need to Know and How to Act!

Posted on March 18, 2021

The recently passed American Rescue Plan, which provides COVID-19 relief and economic stimulus, sends a total of more than $39 billion in relief funding to the child care sector. This adds to the roughly $13.5 billion in child care funding in prior COVID-19 relief packages. The American Rescue Plan represents an enormous win for child care providers, who have been struggling during this crisis, and by extension the children and families that they serve.

From the latest package, New Jersey is estimated to receive about $694 million of those funds, based on analysis by the Center for Law and Social Policy.

These funds for New Jersey are roughly divided into two categories:

  • $267 million for the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and
  • $426 million for the “Child Care Stabilization Fund.”

Smaller amounts will be available for additional Head Start and Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) child care funding.

The CCDBG funds come with significant flexibility in how they can be used to support children, families, and providers. The state will decide the specific policies to put in place and how to distribute funds.  Exactly how and when this funding will be available to providers is still yet to be determined.

View the New Jersey Department of Human Services's website regarding child care and COVID-19.

For any additional questions, contact Senior Policy Analyst Cynthia Rice at crice@acnj.org.

Frequently Asked Questions: American Rescue Plan and Child Care in New Jersey

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Be Part of DCF’s Youth Council

Posted on March 17, 2021

The NJ Department of Children and Families is accepting applications for its Youth Council, beginning in Fall 2021. Young people between the ages of 16-32 who have been involved in the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P), formerly known as DYFS, the NJ Children’s System of Care or CSOC, (also known as CMO) and/or DCF”s Office of Education, or a DCF Regional School are eligible to apply. If you are interested in creating change in the policies and practices in one of these systems and want to elevate youth voice in case planning, please click here and apply TODAY!

We’re Live! Updates to the Kids Count Dashboard

Posted on March 16, 2021

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For more than 20 years, ACNJ has produced KIDS COUNT data reports to bring you the most current data relating to the well-being of children. In an effort to continue to highlight important trends impacting our state's children, ACNJ created the NJ KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard, which will now be updated on a quarterly basis. We encourage you to use these data to inform your programs, write grant reports, and educate members of your community.

Data updates for this quarter include:

  • NJ Earned Income Tax Credits, Recipients with at Least 1 Dependent Under Age 19 (# of credits issued and average claim amount)
  • Federal Earned Income Tax Credits, (# of credits issued and average claim amount)
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Infant Mortality Rates
  • Teens Ages 16 to 19 Not Working and Not in School
  • Youth Admissions to County Detention
  • Youth Commitments

Unsure how to navigate the dashboard? Check out this short video to help you get started. Jump to 4:05 mark to learn how to print the data that interests you!

Have any questions? Contact ACNJ's KIDS COUNT Coordinator, Alana Vega at avega@acnj.org. And be sure to check back next quarter for new updates!