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:

• Getting help paying for child care and how the child care assistance program works
• What to look for when choosing child care Opens in new window
• Finding child care in your area
• How to report an instance of abuse at a child care program Opens in new window
• How to report a complaint about a child care program Opens in new window

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 and neighbor provider), 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 (CCDBG) Act 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 clearly define who must complete comprehensive criminal background checks and health and safety trainings as well as establishing standards for monitoring and annual inspections. 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.
 
In addition to all the CCDBG requirements, child care providers receiving payment through CCAP must be licensed or registered by the Department of Children and Families (DCF), Office of Licensing (OOL) or approved by the Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Family Development (DFD). This includes child care centers, school-based programs, summer youth camps and home-based providers, such as family child care providers and approved homes. Programs that are license exempt, such as public and charter schools or faith-based organizations, must become licensed and must comply with CCDBG requirements in order to receive payments through CCAP.
 
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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