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Newark council backs resolution urging reinstatement of state child-care funding after pleas from providers
Summary
Child-care providers and parents told the council that New Jersey’s pause and limited reopening of child-care assistance has cut enrollment and left families unable to afford care. The council adopted Resolution 7R8A urging restoration of state funding; advocates asked the council to follow up with concrete supports.
Valeria Rivas, a Newark family child-care provider and union delegate, told the Newark Municipal Council on Feb. 18 that New Jersey stopped accepting new applications for the state child-care assistance program in August and only reopened in January on a limited basis. “Small centers like ours have been greatly affected as the enrollment numbers have dropped significantly, impacting our income,” Rivas said, and she urged the council to support Resolution 26‑02‑20 and the later city resolution asking the state to restore funding.
Other witnesses gave personal snapshots of the strain. Laura Penafiel, a Newark mother and educator, said she pays $1,675.75 in rent and roughly $1,200 for daycare for her youngest child, and that losing subsidy access makes it impossible to work. Myra Rodriguez, a longtime educator and family child‑care provider, contrasted the lack of state childcare funding with the $300,000,000 tax break reportedly given to the Prudential Center and said the city’s priorities should shift toward low‑income families.
Acting as the sponsor of the council resolution, Councilman Luis Quintana framed the measure as a request that the state restore and expand access to the child‑care subsidy program and related supports. On roll call the council adopted the city resolution urging reinstatement of funding for the New Jersey Child Care program (listed on the agenda as 7R8A). The resolution passed on a recorded vote with an affirmative majority of council members.
Why it matters: Providers said the closing and limited reopening of the state application system has forced centers to lower prices or turn away families, creating long‑term financial instability for small, neighborhood childcare businesses and immediate hardship for working parents. The council’s resolution is a formal request to state officials and a political signal; it does not itself change local eligibility or funding levels.
What comes next: Sponsors and several council members urged follow‑up with state legislators and recommended that the city track local child‑care capacity and connect residents with available resources. Council members and advocates said they will monitor whether the state expands applications and will return to the council with requests for targeted local supports if needed.
