ASSEMBLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 180

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  AUGUST 20, 2020

      The Assembly Women and Children Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Resolution No. 180.

     As amended by the committee, child care providers are at the forefront of the nation’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, yet financially, the child care industry has been one of the most affected industries during the pandemic.

     According to an analysis from the Center for American Progress, the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a permanent loss of nearly 4.5 million child care slots nationwide, leaving millions of families without the child care they need to return to work.

     As communities across the country move toward reopening, and parents return to work, it is more important than ever to ensure that child care providers are supported financially on the federal level in order for child care centers, home-based child care providers, and family day care homes to continue to serve their communities by providing child care services in a safe and healthy manner both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

     Therefore, this resolution urges the passage and enactment of the federal “Child Care Is Essential Act,” S.3874/ H.R.7027, which is necessary to offset the increased costs of sanitization and other operational modifications, the purchase of personal protective equipment, and staff training and professional development related to health and safety practices that child care centers, home-based child care providers, and family day care homes incur in order to reopen and provide safe, affordable, and high quality child care both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amendments make various technical revisions concerning grammar and syntax.