Information about the Federal Government Shutdown
The federal government shut down as of October 1, 2025. Here are updates on the programs managed by the Division of Family Development.
The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), Child Support program and Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) are not impacted at this time.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
As a result of the continuing federal government shutdown, November 2025 SNAP benefits are not available at this time.
On November 3, the federal government reported to a federal judge that it will issue partial SNAP benefits. On November 4, New Jersey received guidance on how those partial benefits are to be calculated, and state officials are reviewing that. The State will continue to provide updates at NJSNAP.gov about when SNAP benefits will be issued.
SNAP benefits loaded on your Families First EBT card prior to October 31, 2025 are available for you to use. Before going to the grocery store, we encourage SNAP food assistance recipients to check their account at
NJFamiliesFirst.com or by calling (800) 997-3333. If there are SNAP benefits in your NJ Families First account, they are available for you to use.
Please note, you may receive eligibility notices and your MyNJHelps case summary may show that you are eligible for November benefits. Even though you may receive an eligibility notice and the benefits show in your case summary, November 2025 SNAP benefits have not been posted to your Families First EBT card on time.
Because November SNAP benefits are not available as a result of a federal shutdown, fair hearings will not be scheduled for this issue.
To find a food pantry in your area, visit
NJ211.org.
Continue to visit the DFD Emergency/Disaster page for ongoing updates on how the federal shutdown may impact these programs.
Child Care Assistance Program - Important Update
Due to limited funding, as of Friday, August 1, 2025, the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) is no longer accepting new applications. Applications received or postmarked after July 31, 2025, will not be reviewed.
Children currently served by the Child Care Assistance Program will continue to receive assistance as long as they remain eligible. Unfortunately, new children cannot be added to existing CCAP cases after July 31, 2025.
If you need assistance paying for child care, you can check whether you are eligible for the Head Start child care program or if your school district has free child care for three- and four-year-olds.
Additional funding is not anticipated for the foreseeable future.
If you would like to be notified when funding becomes available and the application reopens, visit our CCAP Application Closed page to provide either your email address or phone number.