Mission Statement:

Our mission is to empower Bergen County families by enabling them to provide their children with high-quality child care that fosters healthy childhood development. Additionally, we are committed to supporting the child care community through comprehensive education and training programs.

Services

Updates and News

The monthly CCR Director’s Meetings are scheduled every third Saturday of every month from 9:00am-10:00am virtually on Zoom. No meetings in December, April & July. Please register on NJCCIS, or contact nmelendez@bergencountynj.gov.  Hope to see you there!

Copayments are resuming, your child care provider will begin collecting copayments from you starting August 1, 2024.

If you are a family receiving child care assistance through New Jersey’s Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development, federal law requires families to share in the cost of child care using a sliding fee scale (meaning cost is adjusted depending on your income). This fee is known as copayment or copay. For more information https://www.childcarenj.gov/Parents/CCAP/ImportantInfo.

• 2024 Parent Meetings
• Provider Copayment Resumption Letter from DFD: DFDi 24-06-01 CC-238
• Parent Letter, Copayment Policies and FAQs from DFD: DFDi 24-06-01 CC-237

Child Care Market Rate Survey for 2023

The New Jersey, Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development, Office of Child Care Operations (DHS/DFD/OCCO) is required by the Federal Government to conduct a Child Care Market Rate Study for 2023. The data collected by this survey will provide valuable information related to child care market prices, expenses associated with the implementation of health, safety, and staffing requirements, and the cost of higher-quality care. DHS/DFD/OCCO will use the data collected through this process to inform policy and budget planning for the State’s child care assistance program. Child care provider participation is critical. For the Center-Based Programs Survey, click here. For the Family Child Care survey in English and Spanish, click here.

Provider Notice from DFD on Health and Safety Training Requirements (issued 05/04/2023)

• In English
• In Spanish

Thriving by Three Infant and Toddler Child Care Grant

New Jersey Bill S2476 was signed into law in June 2022, establishing an infant and toddler child care grant program, known as Thriving by Three.

To support this, New Jersey has committed $28 million to strengthen and increase high-quality child care services and programs for our most vulnerable young children. A total of $20 million was allocated to the Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development (DHS/DFD) and $8 million to Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) to implement the Thriving by Three (TBT) Grant Programs, in collaboration with the Department of Children and Families, Office of Licensing (OOL).

The Thriving by Three Infant and Toddler Child Care Grant will help support the development and creation of infant and toddler slots and provide technical assistance to providers for the expansion of child care spaces.

The Thriving by Tree Infant and Toddler Child Care Grant is now accepting applications from licensed child care centers and Head Start/Early Head Start programs.

This grant offers providers an initial grant award in year 1 of $3,000 for each new infant or toddler slot. Years 2 and 3 provide the opportunity to apply for an additional $1,200 per infant and toddler slot.

A Thriving by Three Grant for registered family child care providers will be available later this year.

For eligibility information, an overview video and more details on this grant, visit the ChildCareNJ.gov Thriving by Three Grants page.

Division of Family Development

• DFDI 24-07-03 – Rate Increases Licensed Centers, Family Child Care Providers, and Summer Youth Camps
• August 2024 Rate ChartsAugust 2024 Rate Charts
• August 2024 Rate Charts in Spanish
• Provider Letter Rate Increase
• Provider Letter Rate Increase in Spanish
• DFDI23-02-05 Rate Increases for Licensed Centers and FCC Providers
• Letter for Providers

The DHS/DFD Policy of payment based on enrollment rather than attendance for children in the Child Care Assistance Program has been extended through June 2023.

New website by the State of New Jersey designed to help residents, small businesses, nonprofits and local governments replace or rebuild damage due to storms and to prepare for future storms: DisasterHelp.nj.gov

Attendance and Enrollment Study

The Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development will launch a Child Care Enrollment Study Form to collect attendance for a study comparing the costs of enrollment vs. attendance-based assistance programs.

• Provider Notice for the Attendance and Enrollment Data Collection Study
• Provider Notice for the Attendance and Enrollment Data Collection Study (Spanish)
• DFDI Program Instruction 22-03-05

Grow NJ Kids tiered reimbursement now includes Family Child Care Providers (FCCs)

• Division of Family Development Instruction sheet and new rates
• Letter to Family Care Providers announcing new rates for Quality

2022-2023 Covid-19 Family Differential Payment Extended Through December, 2023

• Family Differential Payment Policy Extension
• 2022-2023 Differential Payment Acknowledgement Fillable Form
• Family Differential Letter
• Provider Differential Letter

Links

Tell Us Your Story About Child Care

Please take a moment and share your story with us through this form.