Murphy signs bill providing $10 million in aid to child care providers

Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a bill providing New Jersey child care providers with $10 million in federal aid Tuesday.

“Child care providers are absolutely critical to New Jersey’s workforce, and the COVID-19 pandemic has hit them especially hard,” Murphy said. “This legislation will help to ensure that these providers can continue to weather the pandemic and remain open and able to meet the needs of so many New Jerseyans who rely on them.”

The Economic Development Authority, which is administering the program, will allow providers to begin pre-registering their applications later this month.

The bill — sponsored by State Sens. Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark) and Joe Lagana (D-Paramus) and Assembly members Lisa Swain (D-Fair Lawn), Gabriela Mosquera (D-Blackwood) and Adam Taliaferro (D-Woolwich) — is part of a five-bill package containing $100 million in small business aid meant to blunt the impact of the pandemic.

“During the height of the pandemic, more than half of child care providers had to close their doors, hurting our families and our economy,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff), who attended Tuesday’s bill signing. “But now, thanks to the bipartisan CARES Act, federal resources are being delivered to support our families and child care providers, and to help them recover.”