Child Care Aware of New Jersey is open and working to support families statewide as families seek and obtain child care in order to return to work or remain employed.
CCR&Rs: Supporting Families & Providers During COVID-19Download CCANJ's full infographic about CCR&R services and COVID-19's economic impact on families here.
Dept. of Children and Families & Dept. of Human Services, Division of Family Development
Guidance for Child Care During COVID-19
New Jersey Department of Health
NJ Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development
Division of Unemployment Insurance
Tax Relief
Have questions about COVID-19?
Use the NJ COVID-19 Information Hub to find quick answers to questions such as
State announcements, services, and assistance are available through the COVID-19 hub. Try it!
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:
Family child care providers may be eligible, if you are:
More information (including recorded webinars) can be found here.
Enrollment-based Payment: DFD will continue to pay providers based on enrollment rather than attendance through June 30, 2022.
Waiving Parent Co-Pays: DFD has waived parent co-pays from November 1, 2021 through October 2023.
Supplemental Payments: DFD will issue an additional supplemental payment of $300 per subsidy-eligible child for full-time care, or $150 for part-time care per subsidy eligible child through June, including infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children enrolled in your program.
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.
Child Care Provider Resources
Podcasts from the Committee for Economic Development (CED), April 16, 2020
The are many new financing options available to support child care programs. However, it can be confusing to know which path might be the best for you. The podcasts below help every child care program understand the options available and key questions to consider.
Small Business Relief for Child Care Providers
For the latest information on small business relief, make sure to check out the following resources from Child Care Aware of New Jersey:
Small Business Administration Help
Need Help Reviewing Business Options?
Helping Family Child Care to Thrive Through the Public Health Crisis and Beyond
In January 2020, there were 1,486 registered family child care providers in New Jersey. In May, Child Care Aware of New Jersey and the New Jersey Family Child Care Providers Association conducted a survey to better understand the family child care home landscape and providers' needs for re-opening.
COVID-19 Impact. Among the 1,014 family child care providers who responded to the survey, 346 closed due to the pandemic (218 responded in English and 128 responded in Spanish). Two-thirds of survey respondents indicated they have remained open and reported this was out of necessity - her own income and economic well-being, and families have been counting on her.
The number of registered family child care programs in New Jersey has been declining over the past decade. As the state looks to re-open businesses and services to jumpstart recovery, working parents will need access to child care. With parent anxiety high related to potential COVID-19 exposure, there could be a shift in parent preferences for the smaller child care settings offered in neighborhood family child care homes. Both open and temporarily closed family child care providers will need meaningful support to welcome children and keep everyone (including themselves) healthy and well.
New Jersey Family Child Care Home Provider Survey Results
Coming soon!
Parent Resources
Talking About COVID-19 with Children (CDC Suggestions)
Community Resources
Need Help with Rent Payments?
Recent CDC Guidance
Health Insurance Resources
The American Rescue Plan makes health care coverage more affordable! If you do not currently have health insurance or, have health insurance through Get Covered New Jersey, you may be able to get free or greatly reduced cost health coverage. Read our one pager to learn more!