PRINCETON — September 25, 2024 — Several New Jersey philanthropic foundations announced a partnership to launch the First 1,000 Days Policy Coalition to develop and promote promising, evidence-backed policies that will support New Jersey’s working families and improve the health, well-being, and lifelong success of young children.
The coalition’s main focus will be equitable access to affordable, high-quality child care — an urgent issue for working families. Now that federal stabilization funding, a lifeline for child care providers, has run out, more than 1,300 child care programs in New Jersey could close, according to a report from The Century Foundation. Without additional resources, this could leave 104,000 children in New Jersey without care and 6,800 child care educators without jobs. The child care crisis equates to about $378 million in lost earnings for New Jersey parents; a $453 million loss for employers due to care-related employee turnover and decreased productivity; and $18 million less in state income tax revenue.
The Coalition brings together organizations with deep knowledge and policy experience in issues affecting children and families. They recognize the science showing the first 1,000 days — from pregnancy through age two — to be a time of unparallelled development in cognitive, emotional, and physical health.
The Burke Foundation, Turrell Fund, Maher Charitable Foundation, The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, and Schumann Fund for New Jersey provided seed funding for the Coalition, which currently includes the Rutgers Center for Women and Work; Advocates for Children of New Jersey; Moms First, a national nonprofit; and the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers. The Coalition will grow to include additional organizations and will work with child care educators, parents, community-members, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
“By joining together, we create a strong and impactful voice to drive change to support healthier families in New Jersey,” said Atiya Weiss, executive director of the Burke Foundation. “The First 1,000 Days Policy Coalition provides a unique opportunity to engage new partners and pilot bold two-generation investments that can make New Jersey a model for the nation when it comes to supporting young children and families.”
Advancing New Jersey’s Child Care Infrastructure
The Coalition will identify and advance policies that strengthen New Jersey’s child care infrastructure and workforce and meet the needs of New Jersey’s youngest residents and their families. The Coalition will also support initiatives aimed at improving access to New Jersey’s paid family leave program benefitting families welcoming children and other policies that promote family well-being and stability during a child’s earliest years.
Margarethe Laurenzi, executive director of the Maher Charitable Foundation, said the Coalition will work to materially improve the lives of young children and their families, especially those in underserved communities.
“The Maher Charitable Foundation is pleased to be part of this initiative to increase investment in the child care network and workforce, enhance uptake of paid family leave, and bolster families with other economic supports essential in securing brighter futures for everyone,” Laurenzi said.
Moms First, a grassroots advocacy organization, will focus on engaging New Jersey’s private sector in child care and family leave. “In the past two years, we’ve built a national coalition of more than 150 businesses committed to playing a role in our national child care crisis,” said Reshma Saujani, CEO and founder of Moms First. “We look forward to deepening relationships with the New Jersey business community and working together to identify innovative, state-based solutions to improve affordability and access to quality child care.”
The Coalition aims to create change that lasts generations. Improvements in New Jersey’s child care policies and infrastructure will provide long-term health, education, and emotional benefits to children, lead to a more robust and committed workforce of parents and, ultimately, build a stronger economy. Effective policies supporting families with infants and toddlers have been shown to result in decreased spending on public programs in the future.
The Coalition’s policy initiatives will be grounded in research. “The timing is right to put the science and evidence to work and design and advance a policy agenda that promises to be transformational for New Jersey families,” said Debra Lancaster, executive director, Center for Women and Work at Rutgers. “We know that, especially for our youngest residents and their families, access to affordable, quality child care, the ability to take time off to bond and care for a new child, and policies that support the economic stability of families with young children are all smart investments.”
Click here for more information about the First 1,000 Days Policy Coalition.