Child Care Aware of New Jersey COVID-19 Resources

NEW! COVID-19 Child Care Initiatives

NJ American Rescue Plan Stabilization Grants: The NJ American Rescue Plan (ARP) Stabilization Grant provides financial relief to licensed child care providers and registered family child care providers to support key operating expenses. The grant may be used for wages and benefits, insurance, rent, mortgage, utilities, cleaning and sanitizing, professional development related to health and safety, mental health services, and other operational expenses to remain open and operating.

Providers must have been licensed or registered as of March 11, 2021 to qualify and meet the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) health and safety requirements, including trainings and comprehensive background checks, at time of application. These grants are available regardless of whether programs are serving children on subsidy. For more information, click here.

$1,000 Hiring and Retention Bonus Grant: Funded with the Child Care Revitalization Fund signed into law by Governor Murphy and the American Rescue Plan, hiring and retention grants will be issued from the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Family Development (DFD).

Child care center staff are eligible for a $1,000 bonus, if they:

• make $50,000 or less a year;
• were newly hired or are a current employee;
• are responsible for directly working with children (care, supervision or instructing); and
• are registered in the Workforce Registry through NJCCIS (New Jersey Child Care Information System).

Family child care providers may be eligible, if you are:

• a registered Family Child Care Provider
• in compliance with federal Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) health and safety requirements (criminal background check and health and safety trainings)
• in good standing with New Jersey’s Registration, Manual of Requirements
• make $50,000 or less a year
• open and operating at time of application
• have children enrolled.

More information (including recorded webinars) can be found here. A second phase of these grants will be available in the fall/winter 2022.

Enrollment-based Payment: DFD will continue to pay providers based on enrollment rather than attendance until further notice (extended beyond August 31, 2022). See guidance.

Waiving Parent Co-Pays: DFD has waived parent co-pays from November 1, 2021 through October 2023. See guidance.

Supplemental Payments: DFD will issue an additional supplemental payment (family differential) of $300 per subsidy-eligible child for full-time care, or $150 for part-time care per subsidy eligible child through December 31, 2023, including infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children enrolled in your program. See guidance.

Should you have any questions, please contact your local Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency. For questions related to Child Care Tuition Assistance for School-Age Children, please visit https://njccis.com/njccis/home.