S2476

An Act establishing an infant and toddler child care grant program, supplementing Title 30 of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. There is established in the Department of Human Services, in coordination with the Department of Education, the Bureau of Licensing in the Department of Children and Families, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the Thriving By Three grant program to incentivize the development of child care programs for infants and toddlers and provide technical assistance to child care services providers for the expansion of child care spaces for infant and toddlers. The purpose of the grant program shall be to address the shortages of regulated child care for working families and to support the developmental needs of young children.

b. Grants under the program shall be awarded to a licensed child care or registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district on a competitive basis. Providers, programs, or school districts that receive a grant under the program shall use the funds to develop or expand quality child care spaces for infant and toddlers, and preference shall be given to providers, programs, or school districts:

(1) located in communities identified as child care deserts with little or no child care options for infants and toddlers;

(2) located in communities with high percentages of low-income families; and

(3) that can align their infant and toddler child care programs with high-quality preschool, support collaborations for shared services, and build upon existing early childhood education services.

c. To be eligible for consideration of a grant award, a licensed child care or registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district shall:

(1) submit an application to the Commissioner of Human Services, in accordance with application procedures and requirements prescribed by the commissioner;

(2) comply with the current child care licensing standards for infant and toddler child care, including but not limited to, class size, child to staff ratios, and health and safety standards;

(3) participate in the State’s child care quality rating and improvement system, Grow NJ Kids (GNJK);

(4) require classroom teachers to have earned or to attain an infant and toddler child development associate (CDA) or equivalent credential within two years of employment; and

(5) require that classroom teachers with bachelor of arts degrees supervise at least six but no more than eight classrooms or up to 24 children at one time.

d. The commissioner shall establish selection criteria for the awarding of grant funds under the program. One-time grants shall be awarded based upon review of the applications and subject to the availability of funds, and shall be used:

(1) to expand, renovate, or reconstruct existing facilities to increase the number of infant and toddler child care spaces or classrooms, as appropriate; and

(2) for staff recruitment and staff development initiatives.

Additional grants shall be made available to family day care providers who meet all the eligibility requirements pursuant to subsection c. of this section to incentivize such providers to register with the Department of Children and Families in accordance with the “Family Day Care Provider Registration Act,” P.L. L. 1987, c. 27 (C.30:5B-16 et seq.).

e. A licensed child care or registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district receiving a grant under the program and using that grant to expand, renovate, or reconstruct existing facilities to increase the number of infant and toddler child care spaces or classrooms, as appropriate, shall receive from the Department of Human Services a child care reimbursement rate of $22,000 per year per child to cover staff salaries commensurate with the infant and toddler child development associate (CDA) or other equivalent credential.

f. The commissioner shall establish the amount for each grant that is approved and shall:

(1) publicize the existence of, and encourage licensed child care or registered family day care providers, Head Start programs, or school districts in applying to participate in, the program; and

(2) provide technical assistance to the grant awardees to meet the requirements of the program.

g. Within one year after receiving a grant award under the program, a licensed child care or registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district shall submit a report to the Department of Human Services containing information on the provider’s, program’s, or school district’s use of the grant funds. The report shall include, at a minimum, information on the number of additional infant and toddler child care spaces created using grant funds, increases or improvements in the provision of child care services as a result of the grant, and any notable changes in child care enrollment and attendance rates or other measures since receiving the grant.

2. The Commissioner of Human Services shall submit a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than two years after the establishment of the Thriving By Three infant and toddler child care grant program. The report shall include, but need not be limited to, information on the number of grant applicants, the number and amounts of the grant awards, the number of additional infant and toddler child care spaces created using grant funds, information provided by licensed child care and family day care providers, Head Start programs, and school districts under subsection g. of section 1 of this act, and any recommendations concerning the continuation or expansion of the grant program.

3. The Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Department of Education, the Bureau of Licensing in the Department of Children and Families, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt such rules and regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of this act.

4. There is appropriated to the Department of Human Services:

a. $22,000,000 from the General Fund to be used to effectuate the purposes of this act; and

b. $6,000,000 from the federal “Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund” established pursuant to the federal “American Rescue Plan Act”, Pub.L.117-2, of which the following amounts shall be distributed by the authority, on a one-time basis, to a licensed child care or registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district awarded a grant in accordance with section 1 of this act:

(1) $5,000,000 to cover the costs of renovating, improving, expanding, or reconstructing existing child care facilities, as appropriate; and

(2) $1,000,000 for staff recruitment initiatives and creating scholarships for staff development and training.

5. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month next following enactment.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes the Thriving By Three grant program to incentivize the development of child care programs for infants and toddlers and provide technical assistance to child care services providers for the expansion of infant and toddler child care slots.

Specifically, the Department of Human Services (DHS), in consultation with the Department of Education, Office of Licensing in the Department of Children and Families, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, is to establish the grant program for the purposes of addressing the shortages of regulated child care for working families and to support the developmental needs of young children.

Grants under the program are to be awarded to a licensed child care or registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district on a competitive basis, and a provider, program, or school district that receive a grant under the program are to use the funds to develop or expand quality child care spaces for infant and toddlers. Preference is to be given to providers, programs, or school districts who meet the eligibility criteria listed in the bill.

The commissioner of DHS is to establish selection criteria for the awarding of grant funds under the program, and one-time grants are to be awarded based upon review of the applications and subject to the availability of funds. The grants are to be used: (1) to expand, renovate, or reconstruct existing facilities to increase the number of infant and toddler child care spaces or classrooms, as appropriate; and (2) for staff recruitment and staff development initiatives.

The commissioner is to: (1) establish the amount for each grant that is approved; (2) publicize the existence of, and encourage licensed child care or registered family day care providers, Head Start programs, or school districts in applying to participate in, the program; and (3) provide technical assistance to the grant awardees for to meet the requirements of the program.

The bill provides that additional grants under the program are to be made available to family day care providers who meet all the eligibility requirements pursuant to the bill to incentivize the providers to register with the Department of Children and Families in accordance with the “Family Day Care Provider Registration Act,” P.L. L. 1987, c. 27 (C.30:5B-16 et seq.).

The provisions of the bill also stipulate that a licensed child care or registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district receiving a grant under the program and using that grant to expand, renovate, or reconstruct existing facilities to increase the number of infant and toddler child care spaces or classrooms, as appropriate, is to receive from the DHS a child care reimbursement rate of $22,000 per year per child to cover staff salaries commensurate with the infant and toddler child development associate (CDA) or other equivalent credential.

The bill requires each licensed child care or registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district that receives a grant under the program to submit a report to the DHS within one year after receiving the grant. The report is to include information on the number of additional infant and toddler child care spaces created using grant funds, increases or improvements in the provision of child care services as a result of the grant, and any notable changes in child care enrollment and attendance rates or other measures since receiving the grant.

The bill also requires the commissioner to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature no later than two years after the establishment of the Thriving By Three grant program including information on: (1) the number of grant applicants; (2) the number and amounts of the grant awards; (3) information provided by licensed child care and family day care providers, Head Start programs, and school districts in accordance with the provisions of the bill; (4) the number of additional infant and toddler child care slots created using grant funds; and (5) any recommendations concerning the continuation or expansion of the grant program.

The bill appropriates to the DHS: (1) $22 million from the General fund for purposes of the grant program; and (2) $6,000,000 from the federal “Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund” established pursuant to the federal “American Rescue Plan Act”, Pub.L.117-2, of which the following amounts is to be distributed by the authority, on a one-time basis, to a licensed child care or registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district awarded a grant: $5,000,000 to cover the costs of renovating, improving, expanding, or reconstructing existing child care facilities, as appropriate; and $1,000,000 for staff recruitment initiatives and creating scholarships for staff development and training.

It is the sponsor’s intent to create 1,000 new infant and toddler child care spots to address the issues parents of this State face in accessing high quality child care services or receiving the subsidies to pay for such services, particularly for infants and toddlers.