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)
New Jersey issued
full November 2025 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to eligible households on the morning of
Friday, November 7, following a federal court ruling.
SNAP recipients are encouraged to
check their Families First EBT cards at
NJFamiliesFirst.com or by calling
(800) 997-3333 to confirm their balances and
use their benefits as needed.
SNAP benefits loaded on your Families First EBT card prior to
Oct. 31 remain available for use as well.
New Jersey continues to monitor developments and will continue to provide updates at
NJSNAP.gov as needed. Additional assistance for SNAP households during the ongoing federal shutdown is available at
NJ.gov/SNAPshutdown.
Continue to visit the DFD Emergency/Disaster page for ongoing updates on how the federal government 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.