Child care is a basic need for countless families in New Jersey. But many working parents find it difficult - even under normal circumstances - to secure accessible, affordable, high-quality child care.

The Coronavirus pandemic has placed further burden on families - as well as on employers and child care businesses - thus drawing increased attention to how the state's child care system could be re-imagined.

The economic impact of inadequate access to child care resources is enormous. The cost in terms of workers' lost earnings and career advancement potential as well as employers' reduced revenue and workforce productivity approaches $57 billion nationally per year according to a study by ReadyNation.

Recently, members of the New Jersey legislature have held hearings acknowledging the outsize impact child care scarcity is having on New Jersey's economy and have begun exploring legislative solutions.

Questions arise:

• Why is child care difficult to find and afford? What changes have been caused by the Coronovirus pandemic? What are the challenges - past and present - to the business of providing child care?
• How will the pressures of child care be affected as benefits such as eviction moratorium, extra unemployment funding, etc., begin to expire? What are potential solutions?
• How can affordable, quality child care be achieved that supports the development of our youngest children and how can children and society in general benefit from this investment?

Please join NJ Spotlight News for a virtual roundtable featuring government officials, policy advocates, and business representatives to discuss these and other questions regarding the economic effect of New Jersey's child care challenges.

Opening remarks:

Art Rolnick, Associate Economist, Economics Department, University of Minnesota; former Senior Vice President & Director of Research, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; Member, ReadyNation Advisory Board

Panelists:

Carole Johnson, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Human Services

Asw. Gabriela M. Mosquera, New Jersey General Assembly, Women and Children Committee (Chair), Appropriations Committee, Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity

Winifred Smith-Jenkins, Senior Director, Zadie’s Nurturing Den

Cecilia Zalkind , President & Chief Executive Officer, Advocates for Children of New Jersey

Additional panelist to be announced.

Moderator:

John Mooney, NJ Spotlight News Executive Director & Founding Editor

Sponsor: