The first phase of the initiative will award funding ranging from $50,000 to $200,000 to licensed centers to cover the costs of facility improvements.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will host two virtual events for applicants interested in the $54.5 million Childcare Facilities Improvement Program, which will issue awards between $50,000 and $200,000 to cover costs for upgrades to state-based centers.

On May 11, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved the Child Care Facilities Improvement Pilot Program, which in its first phase will provide nearly $15 million in grants to cover costs for upgrading facilities.

A study from the Rutgers Center for Women and Work analyzing how the pandemic affected child care access, employment and earnings found that while participation rates are mostly back to where they had been, more women are cutting back on hours or moving to part-time work. According to Executive Director Debra Lancaster, “This is the part of the ‘She-cession’ that no one is talking about."

While federal and state subsidies have helped families cover costs in the past year, those funds amounted to a band-aid. As for caregivers, they're struggling to retain employees.

The goal of the state-run $100 million proposal is to help families move out of poverty, and get many of them into the workforce.

The legislation is a bid to boost the state's workforce. According to a Dec. 2 statement from the Assembly Democrats, more than 88,000 additional families could benefit from the expanded tax subsidy program.

A report by Fairleigh Dickinson University and the nonprofit Nicholson Foundation found that 45% of respondents were dependent on family for child care, while 35% had none at all.