Prailow asked the state to set aside an additional $430 million for lead abatement, $130 million for lead paint removal, and $300 million to replace lead water lines. “None of that money has been specifically allocated to address lead service lines,” said Rashan Prailow, cochair of Lead-Free New Jersey. Using federal funds, lawmakers set aside $300 million for water infrastructure and $170 million for lead paint remediation when they approved the annual spending bill in late June, but some said the investments fell short or risked being pulled to other programs. Numerous speakers urged the state to put more money behind its efforts to replace aging lead water lines and remove lead paint. Funds disbursed to states under the law must be allocated by the end of 2024, and they must be spent by Dec.

New Jersey has roughly $1.4 billion in unallocated American Rescue Plan money. For example, if an early childhood teacher is making $26,000 a year, living within New Jersey’s high cost of living, a $1,000 check is helpful in the moment, but it does not change the fact that they are now making $27,000 a year,” Tavormina said.Īdvocates suggested the state match every dollar above minimum wage paid to child care workers, adding that child care subsidies for workers in the industry could keep more teachers in the field.īut they warned that the other steps would amount to little if federal funds do not also boost wages. The state has twice provided $1,000 bonuses to child care workers in hopes the additional pay would disincentivize moves to warehouse or hospitality jobs, which have boosted pay to address their own hiring shortfalls. New Jersey has already set aside some federal funds to aid child care centers. Shortages are widespread in 20 of the state’s 21 counties, and roughly three-quarters of centers said a lack of staff is the reason, Rice said, citing a survey of licensed child care centers her group will release this week. The shortages have grown severe enough that child care centers are, on average, running 10 seats below capacity, with especially dire gaps for age groups like infants and toddlers that require additional care, said Cynthia Rice, a senior policy analyst at Advocates for Children of New Jersey. “My colleagues and I across the state recognize that our early child care system is crumbling around us, and we don’t see how we can save it without immediate relief through compensation strategies,” said Meghan Tavormina, president of the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children. A bevy of speakers urged officials Monday to direct federal dollars toward boosting staffing at child care centers during a listening session on how the state should spend New Jersey’s unallocated American Rescue Plan funds.Ĭhild care advocates and business groups said the state’s child care system is faltering in the face of surging inflation and a broader hiring crunch that has pushed up wages in other sectors, drawing workers from the low-paying field that underpins much of the state’s economy.

Net monitor children