Families are children's first and most important teachers. Families' involvement in children's learning at home as well as in child care and early learning programs can impact lifelong health and child development.
Child care and early learning providers and teachers play a central role in partnering with families on their children's learning and development. Therefore, it is important that families have access to information to help them make the right choices when selecting child care programs.
This website will help families learn more about:
Child Care Assistance Program
The New Jersey
Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps income-eligible parents who are working, in school or in job training to pay for child care. You can use these benefits at any licensed child care center, registered family child care provider, approved home (in-home and family, friend or neighbor), school-based program or summer youth camp that is approved by the state and that participates in CCAP. If you are thinking about or are applying for child care assistance to help you pay for care,
our eligibility calculator will let you know if you may be eligible.
Commitment to safe, reliable, affordable child care
The federal Child Care Development Block Grant Reauthorization (CCDBG) Act of 2014 had two overall goals: give working parents access to affordable, easy to get child care, and improve the health, safety and quality of child care and early learning programs through more rigorous requirements.
In New Jersey, all child care and early learning programs that accept, or wish to accept, child care assistance payments must comply with the requirements set forth by CCDBG. These requirements, among other things, clearly define who must be fingerprinted, what kinds of child care programs must be inspected and monitored, and requires that all child care programs complete health and safety training. In addition, specific information about the status of a child care program's license and whether any complaints have been filed are made public online.
The Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development (DHS/DFD) is committed to increasing access to high-quality programs across the state. Providers who are interested in participating in the Child Care Assistance Program are required to be licensed, regulated, registered or approved, meet DHS/DFD requirements to qualify for funding and are required to comply with federal requirements.
If you would like more information about these federal requirements and for more information about what providers have to do, visit our provider Child Care Assistance Program Requirements and CCDBG page.
11/1/22
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