Nicholson-Funded ITC @NIEER Reports Examine State of Child Care In New Jersey

Over the past several months, the Infant and Toddler Policy Research Center at the National Institute for Early Education Research (ITC @NIEER) has been compiling data about the state of child care in New Jersey for a series of reports (below) funded by The Nicholson Foundation. ITC @NIEER routinely conducts and disseminates independent research and analysis to inform early childhood education policy.

• What Do We Know About Infant and Toddler Care in New Jersey? (March 2021). This report shows New Jersey working families are under increasing financial strain from infant and toddler care costs yet very few receive help from the New Jersey Child Care Subsidy Program.
• Exploring the Cost of High-Quality Infant and Toddler Care in New Jersey (March 2021). This report uses the Office of Child Care’s Provider Cost of Quality Calculator (PCQC) to estimate the costs of enhanced supports for infant and toddler care.
• Who Cares for Infants and Toddlers? Change from 2012 to 2019 and its Implications (March 2021). Although most children under age 3 are cared for only by parents and other family members, the percentage in formal care increases with the age of the child and has been growing over time. Between 2012 and 2019 there was a shift toward center-based care (from 18% to 21%) and a decrease in the percentage only in relative and nonrelative care (33% to 29%).
• The Financial Impact of COVID Licensing Standards on NJ Child Care Providers (October 2020). This paper examines in-depth the impact of new and existing regulations on child care providers’ revenues and expenditures, and the subsidy rates required to financially sustain child care providers in New Jersey.