Forum on the Impact New Jersey’s Child Care Industry Has on the State Economy Held

– South Jersey leaders will examine the impact that the New Jersey child care and early education industry has on the state’s economy and discuss how to increase access to affordable child care in southern New Jersey at a forum scheduled to take place at Rutgers–Camden Campus on May 16.

The New Jersey Child Care Economic Impact Council and its partners, Rutgers-Camden Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership and the Cherry Hill Chamber of Commerce, are hosting a breakfast forum in Rutgers-Camden Campus Center South, ABC Conference Room, located at 326 Penn Street in Camden, on May 16 at 8:30 a.m. The event:  Building Partnerships Around the Issues of Early Learning in New Jersey, is the second of four statewide forums to discuss the findings of the seminal study Benefits for All: The Economic Impact of the New Jersey Child Care Industry.

Experts on the forum’s panel will include Dr. Gloria Bonilla-Santiago, director of the Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership, Camden, N.J.; Dr. Daniel Martin, CEO, Archway Programs, Berlin, N.J.; Arthur C. Campbell, president/CEO, Cherry Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce; and Joanne Bursich, program manager for the Nonprofit Finance Fund, Philadelphia, Pa.

Noted Bonilla-Santiago, “this forum provides an opportunity to support the work of early childhood educators, parents and communities as we seek to build high quality systems and address issues of socio-emotional development and mental health to ensure that all children are ready for school.”

Benefits for All, launched earlier this year, showed that the child care and early education industry are key economic drivers in New Jersey that generates more than $2.5 billion annually and creates approximately 65,000 full-time jobs, making it the largest employer in any other sector. South Jersey alone is home to more than 800 licensed child care centers. In 2006, full time working parents in New Jersey spent approximately $9,309 to place an infant in a licensed child care center and approximately $7,631 to place children in preschool programs.

“The Child Care Industry in New Jersey touches most businesses, organizations and governments either directly if they are larger companies, or indirectly through their employees,” said Campbell. “The care and nurturing those children receive while away from parental supervision contributes to their eventual development as part of the state’s labor force and has an immediate impact on the parent(s) choice of employer and state of mind as an employee. The extraordinary expense, burdens of high insurance costs and property taxes put greater pressure on choices parents can make with regard to quality child care. Few issues will have greater impact on the development of New Jersey’s youth population.”

About The John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy:
The John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy of Thomas Edison State College is a partner to the New Jersey Child Care Economic Impact Council and a vital resource for New Jersey decision-makers. The Institute’s practical, nonpartisan, hands-on approach supports informed public policy that links people to policy. The Institute addresses the state’s most critical issues through practical research, technical assistance and comprehensive public policy solutions that are supported by the resources of higher education in a manner that reflects the College's tradition of innovation and excellence. For more information: Call (609) 777-4351; or write to: The John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy, Thomas Edison State College, 101 W. State St., Trenton NJ 08608-1176.