According to the America After 3PM 2025 survey, nine in ten New Jersey parents believe all children deserve access to quality afterschool and summer programs, and an equal share support public funding for these opportunities. Parents say afterschool programs help them keep their jobs, reduce stress, and improve productivity at work, while helping their children stay safe, engaged, and excited about learning.

In the final weeks of the campaign, NJSACC met with the Sherrill-Caldwell team to discuss the continuum of child care, afterschool, and affordability for working families. Dr. Dale Caldwell emphasized three critical principles; collaboration, efficiency, and continued investment, as the foundation for a strong educational and economic system. He spoke candidly about the need to uplift both programs and providers through aligned policies, better use of public funding, and innovative workforce pipelines.

A key area of shared focus is the need to strengthen the state’s child care systems, including the New Jersey Child Care Assistance Program (NJCCAP). Families depend on these supports not only in the early years but also as children grow and enter school-age care. Strengthening NJCCAP will ensure that working parents have consistent access to affordable, high-quality options throughout their child’s development. Streamlining eligibility, improving reimbursement rates, and aligning systems across early childhood and afterschool care are essential to creating an equitable and sustainable child care continuum in New Jersey.

Representative Mikie Sherrill has consistently demonstrated leadership in this space. She has championed policies that expand access to affordable, high quality child care and early learning. Beyond early childhood, Representative Sherrill has been a strong advocate for afterschool and summer learning. She continuously expressed support for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, emphasizing their importance for student achievement and afterschool enrichment. When $7 billion in federal education funds were temporarily withheld earlier this year, Representative Sherrill joined the New Jersey Delegation and fought for their immediate release, citing that over $32 million for 21st Century Community Learning Centers was at risk, funding that sustains afterschool enrichment and academic support across New Jersey. Her leadership underscores the essential role these programs play in student achievement, family stability, and community well-being. She has also championed policies that expand access to affordable, high quality child care, such as The Child Care Stabilization Act, extending critical grants to child care facilities nationwide.

Our conversation with Dr. Caldwell resonated strongly with NJSACC’s policy priorities:

• Investing in a mixed delivery system that includes school-age providers, afterschool and summer programs, and workforce pathways for OST professionals.
• Ensuring provider stability and program quality, recognizing that programs cannot serve children if they are under-resourced, understaffed or operating in crisis.
• Strengthening alignment and transitions between early childhood, school-age child care, afterschool and summer learning, so that children benefit from continuity of care and enrichment, and families have reliable supports.