Bill > A3436

Introduced Session

The bill establishes the Task Force on Child Care Deserts in New Jersey. The purpose of the task force is to identify, and study child care deserts and evaluate why child care deserts exist in the State. The task force will consist of 15 members as follows: the Commissioner of Human Service, the Director of the Division of Family Development in the Department of Human Services, the Commissioner of Children and Families, and the Director of the Division on Women in the Department of Children and Families, or their designees, who will serve ex-officio; one member of the Advisory Council on Child Care; one member of a family day care sponsoring organization; one member of a child care resource and referral agency; four members appointed by the Governor with experience, training, and interests in child care issues; two members appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the President of the Senate and the Minority Leader of the Senate, respectively, both residing in a child care desert located in an urban area of the State; and two members appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly and the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, respectively, both of residing in a child care desert located in a rural area of the State. Under the bill, the task force is to study and evaluate aspects of the provision of child care that may contribute to the existence of child care deserts in New Jersey. The task is to: review existing research, studies, and data concerning child care deserts; and identify specific policies for eliminating child care deserts throughout the State including, but not limited to, analyzing the relationship between the existence of child care deserts and: the geographic proximity of licensed child care centers and family day care homes to families accessing child care services; parental labor force participation; the demographic characteristics of families accessing child care services such as race, ethnicity, and employment status; public investments in child care and early education; child care tuition rates and child care subsidy reimbursement rates; and the lack of investment in child care infrastructure including, but not limited to, facility upgrades which address the health, safety, and educational development of children enrolled in child care centers. The bill defines "child care desert" as a geographic location that lacks any child care options or a geographic location where there is an insufficient number of licensed child providers resulting in more than two-thirds of the children, who live within that location, unable to receive child care. The task force is to issue 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 six months after the task force organizes, containing the task force's findings and recommendations, and expire 30 days after the report's issuance.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Yvonne Lopez (D)*,  Shanique Speight (D)*,  Aura Dunn (R),  Gabriel Rodriguez (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document