New Jersey
Working families in New Jersey need accessible, affordable, quality child care and early learning opportunities for their children.
Currently, federal and state early learning programs reach thousands of young children and their families in New Jersey. But too many working families in New Jersey are missing out. As a direct result of child care issues, the New Jersey economy loses millions of dollars each year in the form of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
There are 630k children ages 5 and under in New Jersey – 68% of these children have all available parents in the workforce.
The typical annual cost of child care for an infant in New Jersey is around $19,600.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant only reaches 9% of eligible families. This federal program helps low-income parents afford child care.
On average, child care providers in New Jersey earn just $31,040 a year; this can make it a challenge to recruit and retain this workforce, leading to supply issues.
New Jersey’s economy loses $3.6B annually due to child care challenges.
New Jersey: In The Headlines
Rep. Menendez Helps Secure Nearly $10 Million for Early Childhood Education in Hudson County
Tap into Jersey City | July 3, 2025
Hudson County’s youngest students will benefit from more than $9.8 million in funding Congressman Rob Menendez (D-NJ-08) helped secure for Head Start and early childhood education programs.
NJ’s child care ‘crisis’ needs more funding as needs grow
NJ Spotlight News | May 13, 2025
Some advocates say the system remains in crisis with limited capacity – especially for infants and toddlers – and underpaid caregivers.
State preschool program helps kids catch up — but many are missing out
Hechinger Report | September 2, 2025
At least 10,000 more children in New Jersey’s poorest school districts are eligible for a landmark program offering free, high quality pre-K, but haven’t enrolled
New Jersey Resources & News
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Democratic Quotes of Support for Head Start
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2024 Child Care and Early Learning State Fact Sheets
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FFYF Analysis of 2024 State of the State Addresses
Analysis of 2024 State of the State addresses given by Governors across the country found that child care, early learning, and early childhood received substantial attention across state and party …
Total Federal TANF & State MOE Expenditures for Child Care & Early Learning in FY2022
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How States Are Using PDG B-5 Grants to Support Career Pathways
The BUILD Initiative, ZERO TO THREE, and Start Early, recently released a new brief highlighting the strategies states are using to improve career pathways in their Preschool Development Grant Birth …
FFYF’S 2023 State Fact Sheets
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New 50 State Analysis Shows Impact of Federal Child Care Program
New analysis of all 50 states and the District of Columbia from First Five Years Fund (FFYF) shows that while the nation’s main federal child care program – the Child …
How CCDBG Benefits Families in Your State
The Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is the primary federal grant program that provides child care assistance to low-income working families with children under age 13. The majority …
FFYF’s 2022 Child Care & Early Learning State Fact Sheets
Our analysis of all 50 states and Washington, D.C. shows that the existing patchwork of federal and state early learning and care programs only reaches a fraction of income-eligible families. Federal …
New Jersey — Federal Support for Early Learning & Care Opportunities
High-quality early childhood education is proven to dramatically improve a child’s opportunities for a better future—particularly children from low-income families—while offering parents improved job stability and overall economic security. To …
Learn About the Positive Impact of MIECHV in Your State
The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program provides federal funds to states, territories, and tribal entities for voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services. This program was reauthorized in …
Governors Highlight Child Care As Key To Helping States Recover And Grow
For years, Democratic and Republican governors alike have prioritized early learning and care as a smart investment for their states. It’s no surprise, then, that as America faces an ever-worsening child care …
2021 State Fact Sheets: Examining the Impact and Unmet Need of Federal & State ECE Funding
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New Jersey — Federal Support for Early Learning & Care Opportunities
High-quality early childhood education is proven to dramatically improve a child’s opportunities for a better future—particularly children from low-income families—while offering parents improved job stability and overall economic security. To …
FFYF Releases State Fact Sheets, Highlighting Unique Local Landscapes
This summer, FFYF released updated state fact sheets, which draw on numerous data sources to offer details about the early childhood opportunities in each state made possible through federal and state …
New Jersey: Federal Support for Early Learning & Care Opportunities
High-quality early childhood education is proven to dramatically improve a child’s opportunities for a better future—particularly children from low-income families—while offering parents improved job stability and overall economic security. To …
Preschool Development Grant Funding Awarded to 26 States for 2020
UPDATE: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced additional three-year renewal grants are being awarded to South Carolina, Nebraska, and …
Updated Fact Sheets Show Opportunities for States
On Monday, the Center for American Progress (CAP) released their 2019 Early Learning Fact Sheets which provide an overview of early learning in each state. As in previous years, CAP’s …
See How All 50 States Use CCDBG Funding to Support Working Families Access Quality Child Care
Yesterday, our friends at Child Care Aware of America released a series of state fact sheets on the status of funding through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) …
New Jersey: Federal Support for Early Learning & Care Opportunities
High-quality early childhood education is proven to dramatically improve a child’s opportunities for a better future—particularly children from low-income families—while offering parents improved job stability and overall economic security. To …
Governors Across the Country Celebrate Federal Preschool Development Grant B-5 Funding
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Education (ED) announced that 46 states and territories have been awarded funding through the Preschool …
46 States and Territories to Receive Preschool Development Grants
Big news! 46 states and territories have been awarded funding through the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5), a $250 million competitive federal grant designed to improve states’ existing early …
