NJ Child Care Assistance Program Requirements Introduction
The federal Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Reauthorization Act of 2014 increases the health and safety requirements for all child care and early learning settings that accept child care subsidies, including youth camps. These provisions include pre-service trainings, comprehensive criminal background checks, written policies and procedures, and inspections and monitoring.
Summer Youth Camps interested in receiving funds through the Department of Human Service, Division of Family Development (DHS/DFD) Child Care Assistance Program are required to comply with the requirements below. These requirements apply to current and prospective staff including volunteers, and individuals who have unsupervised access to children.
How to Register
To register as a summer youth camp, you must have a
New Jersey Child Care Information System (NJCCIS) account. Once you have created an account, or if you already have an account, login and complete the
2021 DFD Youth Camp Acknowledgment Form.
All staff that are responsible for the supervision of children receiving state assistance, including the Youth Camp Director, must complete the following health and safety requirements:
Pre-Service Health and Safety Training Requirements
- Health, Safety and Child Growth and Development: Basic Requirements for Licensing (eight hours)
- Identifying Child Abuse and Neglect – Mandated Reporting (two hours)
- First Aid and CPR Training based on New Jersey’s Youth Camp Act standards
For more information and for links to take these required trainings, visit our
Provider Training page.
Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) Background Fingerprint Check
Required of all staff eighteen years old and older. This check include searches of FBI fingerprints, in-state criminal registry or repository and the National Crime Information Center’s (NCIC) National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR).
Child Abuse Record Information Check (CARI)
Required of all staff fourteen years old and older. This check is used to determine whether a person has a substantiated incident of child abuse or neglect.
Unannounced Inspections and Monitoring
Summer youth camps must cooperate with these unannounved visits to ensure compliance with CCDBG requirements
IMPORTANT NOTE: Any staff member required to submit both a CHRI and CARI check, must have the CHRI results returned first in order to begin working unsupervised. Any staff member required to submit only the CARI check, must have the CARI results returned first in order to begin working unsupervised.
9/15/21