Bill Text: NJ A5262 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Commission on High-Quality Affordable Early Childhood Care and Education; makes appropriation.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-06-15 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee [A5262 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5262-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Commission on High-Quality Affordable Early Childhood Care and Education; makes appropriation.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the Commission on High-Quality Affordable Early Childhood Care and Education in New Jersey and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in, but not of, the Department of Children and Families the Commission on High-Quality Affordable Early Childhood Care and Education. The commission shall:
(1) be independent of any supervision or control by the department except as expressly authorized under this act;
(2) operate in coordination with the Governor's Office;
(3) be considered part of the Governor's policy and strategic planning efforts related to early childhood care and education;
(4) report directly to the Governor and the Legislature; and
(5) provide periodic briefings to the Governor's Office to ensure alignment with Statewide priorities.
b. The purpose of the commission shall be to:
(1) evaluate existing institutional structures and funding mechanisms for the delivery of early childhood care and education in the State, identifying any gaps in funding and access;
(2) recommend sustainable, equitable solutions to support early childhood care and education; and
(3) develop a comprehensive strategy for ensuring universal access to high-quality affordable early childhood care and education throughout the State for children from birth to 5 years of age.
c. The commission shall consist of 19 members as follows:
(1) the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee; the Commissioner of Children and Families, or the commissioner's designee; the Commissioner of Human Services, or the commissioner's designee; the State Treasurer, or the Treasurer's designee; the Executive Director of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, or the executive director's designee; and
(2) 14 public members to be appointed by the Governor as follows: a representative from higher education; two representatives of the New Jersey business community; a representative of the financial services industry in the State; a representative of labor unions in the State; a representative of registered family child care providers in the State; a representative of licensed child care centers in the State; a representative of Head Start programs in the State; a representative of school districts operating preschool programs in the State; two parents of children enrolled in an early childhood care and education program in the State; and three members representing Statewide early childhood policy and advocacy organizations with demonstrated experience in Statewide systems-building, legislative engagement, and provider and workforce representation.
A vacancy occurring in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, but for the unexpired term only.
d. The commission shall organize as soon as may be practicable following the appointment of a quorum of its members and shall conduct its first meeting within 60 days of the effective date of this act.
e. The commission shall elect a chairperson and vice chairperson, and shall select a secretary, who need not be a member of the commission.
f. The commission may formulate and adopt rules of procedure and operation in furtherance of its responsibilities. The commission may divide itself into such subcommittees and task forces, which subcommittees and task forces may include persons other than members of the commission, such as academics, government officers, or professionals, and may enter into such cooperative arrangements with academic or research institutions, as the subcommittees and task forces deem necessary to accomplish the commission's purposes. Persons serving on a subcommittee or task force, other than the members of the commission, shall serve at the appointment of the chairperson and shall be non-voting participants in the task force.
g. The commission may meet and hold hearings at such places and times as it shall designate, but it shall conduct at least three public hearings in different parts of the State.
h. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for all necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Each member of the commission may be removed from office by the Governor, for cause, upon notice and opportunity to be heard.
i. The duties of the commission shall be to:
(1) assess the current state of early childhood care and education funding, affordability, accessibility, and quality;
(2) identify innovative and sustainable strategies for financing high-quality early childhood care and education, ensuring affordability for families, and professional compensation for child care providers;
(3) assess what other states have done to sustain and strengthen early childhood care and education;
(4) evaluate strategies for creating, growing and retaining an early childhood care and education workforce;
(5) assess how the expansion of universal preschool impacts the child care infrastructure in New Jersey;
(6) determine the potential return on investment in universally available high-quality affordable early childhood care and education for the State and for families in the State;
(7) conduct a detailed analysis of early childhood care and education costs for families and providers, including market disparities and workforce compensation;
(8) explore models from other states to inform best practices; and
(9) engage with the public and stakeholders through hearings, surveys, and focus groups to understand needs and priorities.
j. The Department of Children and Families shall provide such stenographic, clerical, and other administrative assistants, and such professional staff as the task force requires to carry out its work. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available for its purposes.
k. The commission may hire such staff and consultants as it deems appropriate.
l. The commissioner shall prepare and submit to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Legislature an interim report, within 18 months of the effective date of this act, and a final report, within 24 months of the effective date of this act, which reports shall include a summary of the commission's activities and any recommendations for legislative and executive action, including recommendations concerning:
(1) an institutional structure to make high-quality affordable early childhood care and education universally available throughout the State, including a competent, well-trained workforce and periodic program evaluations to assure quality;
(2) sources of funding for early childhood care and education; and
(3) policies to promote equity in access and quality in early childhood care and education.
2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Commission on High-Quality Affordable Early Childhood Care and Education such sums as are necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately and expire upon the issuance of the final report by the commission pursuant to subsection l. of section 1 of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the Commission on High-Quality Affordable Early Childhood Care and Education in, but not of, the Department of Children and Families. The purpose of the commission will be to: evaluate existing institutional structures and funding mechanisms for the delivery of early childhood care and education in the State, identifying any gaps in funding and access; recommend sustainable, equitable solutions to support early childhood care and education; and develop a comprehensive strategy for ensuring universal access to high-quality affordable early childhood care and education throughout the State for children from birth to 5 years of age.
The commission will consist of 19 members as follows: the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee; the Commissioner of Children and Families, or the commissioner's designee; the Commissioner of Human Services, or the commissioner's designee; the State Treasurer, or the Treasurer's designee; the Executive Director of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, or the executive director's designee; and 14 public members to be appointed by the Governor as follows: a representative from higher education; two representatives of the New Jersey business community; a representative of the financial services industry in the State; a representative of labor unions in the State; a representative of registered family child care providers in the State; a representative of licensed child care centers in the State; a representative of Head Start programs in the State; a representative of school districts operating preschool programs in the State; two parents of children enrolled in an early childhood care and education program in the State; and three members who represent Statewide early childhood policy and advocacy organizations.
The commission may formulate and adopt rules of procedure and operation in furtherance of its responsibilities. The commission may divide itself into such subcommittees and task forces, which subcommittees and task forces may include persons other than members of the commission, such as academics, government officers, or professionals, and may enter into such cooperative arrangements with academic or research institutions, as the subcommittees and task forces deem necessary to accomplish the commission's purposes. Persons serving on a task force, other than the members of the commission, will serve at the appointment of the chairperson and will be non-voting participants in the task force. The commission may meet and hold hearings at such places and times as it shall designate, but it will conduct at least three public hearings in different parts of the State.
The duties of the commission will be to:
(1) assess the current state of early childhood care and education funding, affordability, accessibility, and quality;
(2) identify innovative and sustainable strategies for financing high-quality early childhood care and education, ensuring affordability for families, and professional compensation for child care providers;
(3) assess what other states have done to sustain and strengthen early childhood care and education;
(4) evaluate strategies for creating, growing and retaining a early childhood care and education workforce;
(5) assess how the expansion of universal preschool impacts the early childhood care and education infrastructure in New Jersey;
(6) determine what the return on investment in universally available high-quality affordable early childhood care and education would be for the State and for families in the State;
(7) conduct a detailed analysis of child care costs for families and providers, including market disparities and workforce compensation;
(8) explore models from other states to inform best practices; and
(9) engage with the public and stakeholders through hearings, surveys, and focus groups to understand needs and priorities.
The commission may hire such staff and consultants as it deems appropriate.
The bill requires the commissioner to prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature an interim report and a final report, which reports will include a summary of the commission's activities and any recommendations for legislative and executive action.
