S2476 1R

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. ¹[There is established in the] The¹ 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, ¹shall establish a grant program, which shall be known as¹ the ¹“¹Thriving By Three ¹”¹ grant program ¹, the purpose of which shall be¹ to incentivize the development of child care programs for infants and toddlers ¹[and] ,¹ provide technical assistance to child care services providers for the expansion of child care spaces for ¹[infant] infants¹ and toddlers ¹[. The purpose of the grant program shall be to] ,¹ address ¹[the]¹ shortages ¹[of] in the number of¹ regulated child care ¹providers that are available¹ for working families ¹,¹ and ¹[to]¹ support the developmental needs of young children.

b. ¹[Grants under] Under¹ the program ¹, the department¹ shall ¹[be awarded to a licensed child care or registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district] award one-time grants,¹ on a competitive basis ¹, to licensed child care providers, registered family day care providers, Health Start programs, and school districts that meet the requirements of subsection c. of this section¹ . Providers, programs, ¹[or] and¹ school districts that ¹[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] meet the requirements of subsection c. of this section shall be eligible for both a one-time grant that may be used to renovate, improve, expand, or reconstruct existing facilities to increase the number of infant and toddler child care spaces or classrooms, as appropriate, and for a one-time grant that may be used to recruit staff and provide staff development opportunities. One-time grants awarded to increase the number of infant and toddler child care spaces or classrooms and one-time grants awarded to recruit staff and provide staff development opportunities may be awarded to a provider, program, or school district at separate times¹ .

c. To be eligible for consideration ¹[of] for¹ a grant award, a licensed child care ¹[or] provider,¹ registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district shall:

(1) submit an application to the Commissioner of Human Services, in ¹[accordance with application procedures and requirements] a form and manner as shall be¹ prescribed by the commissioner ¹, which application shall outline the purposes for which a grant award would be used¹ ;

(2) comply with the current child care licensing standards for infant and toddler child care, including ¹,¹ but not limited to, class size, ¹[child to staff] child-to-staff¹ ratios, and health and safety standards;

(3) participate in the State’s child care quality rating and improvement system, Grow NJ Kids ¹[(GNJK)]¹ ;

(4) require ¹[classroom teachers] room supervisors¹ to have earned ¹[or to attain]¹ an infant and toddler child development associate (CDA) or equivalent credential ¹or to attain a CDA or equivalent credential¹ within two years of ¹the effective date of this act or within two years of commencing¹ employment ¹with the provider, program, or school, whichever occurs later¹ ; and

(5) require that ¹[classroom teachers with] every six to eight rooms at the provider, program, or school be supervised by at least one individual who holds a¹ bachelor of arts ¹[degrees supervise at least six but no more than eight classrooms or up to] degree and has at least two years of early childhood experience, provided that no room supervisor shall be responsible for supervising more than¹ 24 children at one time.

d. ¹(1)¹ The commissioner shall establish selection criteria for the awarding of grant funds under the program. One-time grants shall be awarded ¹, in an amount to be determined by the commissioner,¹ based upon review of the applications and subject to the availability of funds ¹[, 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] .¹

(2) ¹[for staff recruitment and staff development initiatives] In awarding grants pursuant to this subsection, the commissioner shall establish a preference for licensed child care providers, registered family day care providers, Head Start programs, and school districts that:

(a) are located in communities with few or no child care options for infants and toddlers;

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

(c) can align the provider’s, program’s, or school district’s infant and toddler child care programs with high-quality preschools, support collaborations for shared services, and build upon existing early childhood education services¹ .

¹[Additional grants shall be made] (3) In addition to the one-time grants awarded to increase the number of infant and toddler child care spaces or classrooms and the one-time grants awarded to recruit staff and provide staff development opportunities the commissioner shall make an additional one-time grant¹ available to ¹any¹ family day care ¹[providers who meet all the eligibility requirements pursuant to subsection c. of this section to incentivize such providers to register] provider that is registered¹ with the Department of Children and Families in accordance with the “Family Day Care Provider Registration Act,” ¹[P.L. L. 1987, c. 27] P.L.1987, c.27¹ (C.30:5B-16 et seq.). ¹An additional grant awarded pursuant to this paragraph may be used to increase the number of infant and toddler child care spaces, to recruit staff and provide staff development opportunities, or both.¹

e. A licensed child care ¹[or] provider,¹ registered family day care provider, Head Start program, or school district receiving a grant under the program ¹[and using]¹ that ¹uses the¹ 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 ¹[cover] help offset the cost of additional¹ staff salaries ¹, which salaries shall be¹ commensurate with the infant and toddler ¹[child development associate (CDA)] CDA¹ or ¹[other]¹ equivalent credential ¹held by the additional staff members¹ .

f. The commissioner shall ¹[establish the amount for each grant that is approved and shall]¹ :

(1) publicize the existence of, and encourage licensed child care ¹[or] providers,¹ registered family day care providers, Head Start programs, ¹[or] and¹ school districts ¹[in applying] to apply¹ to participate in, the ¹grant¹ program; and

(2) provide technical assistance to the grant awardees to meet the requirements of the ¹grant¹ program.

g. Within one year after receiving a grant award under the program, a licensed child care ¹[or] provider,¹ 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, ¹the number of additional staff hired and any staff development initiatives created using grant funds,¹ 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 ¹the provider, program, or school district observed¹ 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 ¹[the grant awards] grants awarded, the purposes for which grant funds were used¹ , the number of additional infant and toddler child care spaces created using grant funds, information provided by licensed child care ¹[and] providers, registered¹ 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 ¹[Act”] Act,”¹ P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt such rules and regulations as ¹may be¹ necessary to implement the provisions of this act.

4. There is appropriated to the Department of Human Services ¹the following sums, which shall be used by the department to effectuate the provisions of this act¹ :

a. $22,000,000 from the General Fund ¹[to be used to effectuate the purposes of this act]¹ ; 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 ¹[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)] amount¹ $5,000,000 ¹shall be dedicated to grants awarded¹ to cover the costs of renovating, improving, expanding, or reconstructing existing ¹[child care]¹ facilities ¹[, as appropriate;] to increase the number of infant and toddler child care spaces and classrooms,¹ and

¹[(2)]¹ $1,000,000 ¹[for] shall be dedicated to grants awarded to cover the costs of¹ 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.