Dunn Continues to Advocate for Child Care Assistance

by Aura Dunn

TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey families and businesses rely on dependable child care to keep their communities thriving. So those mothers and fathers and small business owners were left reeling after learning the state’s child care subsidy program was closed to new applicants as of Aug. 1. The reason: a $30 million budget shortfall despite legislators tacking on nearly a billion dollars in pork spending.

Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, a member of the Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee, hosted a Child Care Town Hall at the Morristown Neighborhood House Wednesday night, in conjunction with the Advocates for Children of New Jersey. She heard from families who said the increase in copays, up to 6% of a family’s income in some cases, will hurt their already overstretched budgets. Child care providers feared staff layoffs and ultimately being forced to shutter their businesses because of the funding shortfall.      

“This program is a lifeline for working parents who need safe, reliable care so they can stay on the job, train for better opportunities, and support their families. It is also vital for the providers who care for our children every day and for the small businesses that depend on a stable workforce,” Dunn (R-Morris) said. “I see firsthand the difficult choices families are making when it comes to affording care. At the same time, I see a state budget that finds over a billion dollars for pet projects—while critical programs like child care are left fighting for scraps. That is backwards.”

The NJ Child Care Assistance Program has grown to provide subsidies for nearly 70,000 children in low-income families at a cost of $872 million in state and federal funds. However, despite pleas from both the public and legislators such as Dunn, the program ultimately was not fully funded, with the Department of Human Services that oversees the program saying, “additional funding is not anticipated for the foreseeable future.”

To be eligible, families must meet certain work and income requirements; for example, a family of four cannot exceed a gross income of $64,300, and family assets for all income levels must not exceed $1 million. The program provides subsidies for children up to age 13, or age 19 if the child is mentally or physically handicapped.

According to the most recent statistics, New Jersey families may spend up to 19.6% of their income on infant care.  Families in Morris County will spend more than $92,000 for one child, from birth until that child enters Kindergarten, nearly double the national average.

Dunn, who has sponsored numerous bills to address the child care crisis New Jersey families face, said she will continue to demand the state make those families a priority moving forward.

“I have worked across the aisle to fight for families, whether it is pushing to make child care subsidies more stable, supporting the expansion of the child tax credit, or demanding answers when programs fall short,” Dunn said. “I promise to keep New Jersey families’ voices at the center of my work in Trenton.”