Still No Room for Babies: Child Care Staffing Crisis Impacts Supply of Infant-Toddler Child Care

Oct 15, 2026

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Still No Room for Babies examines how New Jersey’s infant-toddler child care supply is constrained by staffing shortages. With most children under three living in households where all parents work, the report highlights that licensed space is available for only about one-third of needed children. Despite reported center capacity, programs often cannot fill infant-toddler rooms due to insufficient staff. The 2022 ACNJ survey of licensed centers details response rates, sampling steps, and findings on capacity and subsidy participation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Child Care Staffing Crisis Impacts Supply of Infant-Toddler Child Care

Determining the Availability of Infant-Toddler Child Care

Methodology

Still No Room for Babies:Child Care Staffing Crisis ImpactsSupply of Infant-Toddler Child Care ADVOCATES CHILDREN OF NEW JERSEY # Still No Room for Babies: ACNJ Staff Mary Coogan,Pres./CEO Staff contributing to this report Diane Dellanno,Policy Analyst ACNJ Board Officers Charles Venti,Chair Jennifer Robinson,Ed.D.,Vice ChairSusan E.Flynn,TreasurerAlison Scott-Williams,Secretary Members Darrin Anderson,Sr.,MS,Ph.D.Monique BaptisteBianka DouglasLorraine D'Sylva-LeeMaurice Elias,Ph.D.Susan E.FlynnLaurence E.Fundler,Esq.Vito Gagliardi,Ed.D.Stuart Grant,M.S.W.Justin J.Kiczek Monica Lallo,Ed.D.,MPA,MPMEileen LeaheyValerie Y.MaurielloRichard Meth,Esq.Jose Carlos Montes,M.Div.Kendell Sprott,M.D.,J.D.Robert SterlingGerard ThiersSara D.ThomRichard Trenk,Esq.Douglas W.Turnbull # Child Care Staffing Crisis Impacts Supply of Infant-Toddler Child Care Acknowledgements This report was made possible by the generous funding fromthe J.B.and M.K.Pritzker Family Foundation and The TurrellFund ACNJ would like to thank the NJ Child Care Resource andReferral Agencies for their assistance in gathering the data forthis report as well as allof the child care programs thatparticipated in the study. Advocates for Children of New Jersey is the trusted,independent voice putting children's needs first formore than 40 years.Our work results in better lawsand policies,more effective funding,and strongerservices for children and families.And it means thatmore children are given the chance to grow up safe,healthy,and educated. Follow us on social media: Facebook.com/acnjforkids Twitter.com/acnjforkids Instagram.com/acnjforkids Linkedin.com/company/advocates- for-children-of-new-jersey Youtube.com/acnjforkids Still No Room for Babies: # Child Care Staffing Crisis Impacts Supply of Infant-Toddler Child Care The availability of high-quality child care for infants andtoddlers is vital for New Jersey families,particularly since 68%of children under age three live in a household where allparents are employed.¹Approximately 304,000 children underthe age of three live in New Jersey²--that means nearly207,000 babies are in need of some form of child care whiletheir parents work. While parents with very young children may choose to utilizerelatives,friends,neighbors,or other types of child care to helpmeet their child care needs,having access to a robust supply ofhigh-quality,affordable licensed child care near their home orworkplace is one of the essential supports working parentsneed.Licensed child care programs not only offer parents asafe and reliable child care option while they work,they canalso be a valuable source of early education during the criticallyimportant first three years of life,laying the foundation forfuture development and success in school and life.It is of theutmost importance that programs providing care to ouryoungest children are also of the highest quality. Unfortunately,finding safe,reliable,and affordable high-quality child care is often a challenge for New Jersey familieswith young children,especially for parents of infants andtoddlers.According to a recent survey conducted by Advocatesfor Children of New Jersey (ACNJ)regarding the availability ofinfant-toddler care in New Jersey,licensed child care for babiesis in short supply with only enough space to serve roughly athird of the children that need care because all parents in thehousehold work.Furthermore,although centers report thatthey have the capacity to serve almost 68,000 infants andtoddlers,they typically serve closer to 55,000,leaving morethan 150,000 very young children without the option of center- Licensed Child Care Centers in New Jersey 3,977Total Licensed Centers 1,793 Licensed Centers ServingInfants and Toddlers 1,0002,0003,0004,000 based care.The primary reason centers reported serving fewerchildren than they have the capacity to serve is that theycannot find enough staff to work in the infant-toddler ro

FAQs

Why is infant-toddler child care supply limited in New Jersey?

The report attributes the short supply mainly to staffing shortages that prevent centers from staffing infant-toddler rooms, even when capacity exists.

What proportion of children under three need some form of child care while parents work?

The report states that nearly 207,000 babies in New Jersey need some form of child care because all parents in their household are employed.

How did ACNJ determine availability using its 2022 survey?

ACNJ surveyed active state-licensed centers serving birth to 30 months, using email links where available and phone follow-ups otherwise, then supplemented missing information from websites or direct calls.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Aurelia