Quality Initiatives

Grow NJ Kids, New Jersey’s Quality Rating Improvement System, is New Jersey’s program to raise the quality of child care and early learning across the state. Grow NJ Kids gives child care and early learning programs resources to assess and improve their programs, while providing parents with information that allows them to evaluate the quality of programs and make the best choices for their child. Programs participating in Grow NJ Kids are assigned a dedicated Technical Assistance Specialist that provides coaching and consultation related to the Grow NJ Kids standards of quality. In addition, Grow NJ Kids participating programs have access to hundred’s to training and professional development offerings and incentives such as free classroom and curriculum materials. The goal is to create a system that encourages ongoing improvement.

The ITSN is a program offered through the county-based Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies. The goals of the ITSN are to improve the quality of Infant and Toddler care across the state and to increase the availability of quality early care and education programs for families with infants and toddlers. Through this program,  Infant Toddler Specialists work with child care professionals to:

• Strengthen the quality of infant and toddler care – to offer a setting that best promotes the healthy development of New Jersey’s youngest children.
• Support age-appropriate activities and approaches to learning and child development
• Offer suggestions and strategies to meet common challenges
• Expand the availability of infant and toddler care in every community.

The Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health at Montclair State University, has been in partnership with the Division for Family Development (DFD) since 2016 to implement to the Socio-Emotional Formation Initiative. Through this initiative, specialized technical assistance, infant and early childhood mental health consultation, professional development, and education to improve social emotional development and inclusion in DFD funded programs are provided.

NJ has partnered with the Central Jersey Family Health Consortium to implement the Child Care Health Consultants Quality Initiative. The initiative is designed to inform and support early childhood and school-age staff and leadership on requirements and best practices related to health, safety, and nutrition. CCHC provides training and technical assistance based on nationally recommended best practices and standards. Additionally, the Child Care Health Consultants collaborate with other DFD-sponsored programs and initiatives to improve the quality of care and promote the health and safety of children, families, and their teachers.

The overall goal of this initiative is to provide support to early care and education providers (both center-based and home-based) and parents via trainings, technical assistance, information, and resources to enhance understanding of the needs of all young children, including those with special needs and how to include them in early care and education settings.

New Jersey’s Afterschool and Out-of-School Time Professional Network (NJSACC) provide various opportunities to providers in the afterschool network through professional development, training and other educational services to individuals to improve school age children’s afterschool and out-of-school time experience.

The Early Childhood Leadership Institute (ECLI) supports the professional development (PD) needs of early childhood leaders participating in Grow NJ Kids, New Jersey’s Quality Rating and Improvement System and other quality initiatives. With a focus on helping build leadership capacity for New Jersey’s early childhood community, the institute works with regional leaders and programs to build capacity and promote continuous professional growth through customized professional development that focuses on evaluation, coaching and training.

Implemented through the county-based Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies, Shared Services Alliances are county-based, membership organizations dedicated to advancing high-quality early care and education through resource sharing, capacity building, and community partnerships. By pooling resources and expertise, the Alliances aims to strengthen member organizations, improve job quality, and increase financial sustainability, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for children and families.

The NJ Workforce Registry, located within the NJ Child Care Information System (NJCCIS), is an on-line database that records and recognizes a person’s education, training, and work experience in the field of early childhood education. The goal of the NJ Workforce Registry is to help participants track their annual professional development hours while providing data about the NJ early childhood workforce. Members can register for courses directly through the registry and access their personalized education and training. Additionally, the NJ Workforce Registry also administers the Early Childhood Scholarship program, awarding scholarships to teachers and assistant teachers working in child care programs participating in the Child Care Assistance Program or Grow NJ Kids. Scholarships are available support members seeking to earn a Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) as well as AA, BA and P-3 college degrees. View more on these scholarships here.

The New Jersey Early Childhood Apprenticeship Pilot Program is focused on expanding the number of child care staff with the Infant/Toddler Child Development Associate (CDA) certification and increasing the capacity of the infant and toddler workforce across New Jersey. For the pilot, NJ has committed to supporting up to 20 licensed child care centers to employ up to a total of 20 full-time apprentices across the state. Participating centers will receive up to $15,000 to support on-the-job training, mentorship and wages of the apprentice.  Additionally, the apprentices’ educational requirements will be supported through the NJ Scholarship Program as they pursue their CDA. It is estimated that most apprentices will complete the requirements of the program within 18 months. More information on this program is available here.