Gottheimer hosts childcare roundtable with advocates, providers
Highlights efforts to expand Child Tax Credit
HACKENSACK, NJ (Bergen County) — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) held a roundtable with childcare advocates and providers at Little Learners Child Development Center.
Gottheimer and childcare providers and advocates discussed issues impacting childcare, including the Child Tax Credit, affordability and accessibility of childcare, the sustainability of operating a childcare center, and attracting talent to staff childcare centers.
On average, Jersey families spend $442.19 a week on childcare, the second most in the country. The average annual price of infant care, specifically, in Bergen County is $17,460 annually. These steep costs often force working parents to choose between childcare and their careers. Surveys show that more than a quarter of parents have quit a job or dropped out of their studies to avoid childcare costs. Jersey families also lose more than $378 million in earnings because they’re forced to cut work hours or leave their jobs to care for their children.
“Given how important childcare is to our children, families, and communities, you’d think that we’d be flush with daycares and nurseries. But, the reason why we’re all here today is that childcare in Jersey is actually hard-to-come-by these days – and it’s incredibly expensive,” Gottheimer said. “I’m excited to convene today’s roundtable with childcare providers and advocates to discuss the challenges facing Jersey’s childcare system and share more about my work in Congress to make childcare more affordable, especially the urgent need to pass bipartisan legislation expanding the Child Tax Credit. It passed the House overwhelmingly and now it’s waiting for a vote in the Senate.”
“ACNJ thanks Congressman Gottheimer for highlighting the need for investment in New Jersey’s child care system. We recognize that adequate support for providers alleviates accessibility and affordability challenges for families,” said Shadaya Bennett, Senior Legislative Analyst at Advocates for Children of New Jersey. “To strengthen and sustain the child care infrastructure, targeted funding is needed to ensure families have access to high-quality options in a system with a skilled workforce dedicated to nurturing our youngest residents.”
Gottheimer is working to make quality childcare more accessible by:
- Pushing to expand the Child Tax Credit — On Tax Day, Congressman Gottheimer sent a bipartisan letter, urging the Senate to pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act. This legislation, which passed the House with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, would expand the Child Tax Credit. The expanded Child Tax Credit would help the parents of 323,000 children across Jersey and lift 400,000 kids out of poverty nationwide.
- Working to restore full funding of Child Care Stabilization Grants — Gottheimer is helping lead the Child Care Stabilization Act, which would restore full funding to Child Care Stabilization Grants, a program funded by the American Rescue Plan that helped childcare providers survive during the pandemic. Little Learners Development Center, the host of the roundtable, clawed back a $90,000 Stabilization Grant. Funding for the Stabilization Grants expired in September, and experts project that the gap in funding could shutter more than 70,000 childcare businesses across the country.
- Investing in childcare options for working families — Gottheimer is leading a range of legislation that makes childcare more accessible for working families. He’s helped increase funding for Head Start, a childcare and nutrition program that serves nearly a million low-income children nationwide. Since he entered office, funding for Head Start has increased by more than $2.7 billion. That’s resulted in important claw backs and investments for Head Start in the Fifth District, including $77 million in 2021 alone. Gottheimer is also co-leading the Apprentice-Related Child Care Act, which would establish a childcare stipend pilot program for Americans in apprenticeship programs. Finally, Gottheimer is driving the bipartisan Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act of 2023, which would provide grants to open childcare centers tailored to the needs of public safety officers who work non-traditional hours.
Gottheimer was joined by Meghan Tavormia, Director of Policy at the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children, Dawn Cleveland, Owner and Director at Little Learners Child Development Center, Rebecca Cleveland, Preschool Teacher at Little Learners Child Development Center, Nicole Barila, Toddler Teacher at Little Learners Child Development Center, Natalie Batista, Infant Teacher at Little Learners Child Development Center, Jimmy Cleveland, Maintenance Support at Little Learners Child Development Center, Shadaya Bennett, Senior Policy Analyst at Advocates for Children of New Jersey, Hannah Korn-Heilner, Policy Associate at Advocates for Children of New Jersey, Diane Dellanno, Policy Analyst at Advocates for Children of New Jersey, Lana Lee, Media Relations Manager at Advocates for Children of New Jersey, Julie O’Brien, Director at Bergen County Office of Children, and Evelyn Greenberg, Chair for the Bergen County Children’s Advisory Board.
