Right from the Start

Advocates for Children of New Jersey

Project Period:

2014

-

2015

Funding Amount:

$150,000

Program Area:

Early Childhood

Geographic Area:

Statewide

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Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) is an education and advocacy organization that educates the public and policymakers and equips caregivers with the information they need to be a child’s strongest ally. It focuses on child welfare and juvenile justice, early learning, healthcare for children, and support for low-income families.

This project supports the development and dissemination of a strategic communications plan that will put into action key recommendations from a 2013-2014 ACNJ Right from the Start project funded by The Nicholson Foundation. The plan educates policymakers and other stakeholders about needed improvements to New Jersey’s early education systems; makes a data-driven case for increased public and private investments in child care; and builds a network of champions for high-quality early childhood programs among the New Jersey business community.

Learn more about Advocates for Children of New Jersey.

Related Resources

Grow NJ Kids: First Steps Toward Quality Child Care

5.1.2014

| Resources

As New Jersey families struggle to find and afford quality child care, the state is embarking on an effort to improve and rate the quality of care young children receive.

This effort promises to give working parents more information when making one of the most important decisions of their children’s lives—where their kids will spend their days during their most formative years. Known as Grow NJ Kids, this new Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), will also help child care providers to improve quality through a variety of supports.

Learn More: Advocates for Children of New Jersey |

Meeting New Jersey's Child Care Challenge: A Kids Count Special Report

12.1.2013

| Resources

Quality child care for young children is essential to building strong families, strong communities and an economically-healthy state and nation. This special Kids Count report provides a close look at child care for New Jersey’s youngest children, birth to age 5, in two key areas—cost and quality.

Learn More: Advocates for Children of New Jersey |

The ABCs of Preschool: Lessons Learned from New Jersey

5.1.2013

| Resources

The federal proposal to expand preschool is a bold investment in the future of children and of our country. Each year, about 50,000 low-income New Jersey children benefit from high-quality preschool. It has been 15 years since New Jersey first started this successful preschool initiative. As the federal proposal evolves, New Jersey’s lessons learned can inform the debate on how to implement quality preschool on a national level.

Learn More: Advocates for Children of New Jersey |

Keeping the Promise of Preschool for New Jersey's Children

2.1.2013

| Resources

The research is clear that full-day, high-quality pre-school benefits young children most by preparing them for kindergarten and providing them with a solid foundation for future success in school and in life. To measure the need and the will to expand pre-school to all eligible children, Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) surveyed more than 100 districts that currently receive limited preschool state aid.

Learn More: Advocates for Children of New Jersey |

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