The pandemic brought New Jersey’s child care issues to light. On Wednesday, the state announced plans to provide daycare centers with financial help. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will provide nearly $55 million for the child care industry. Initially, the EDA will target some of those funds for a $15 million grant program, rolling out this summer, which will provide money to help cover repair and maintenance costs at licensed child care facilities.
A lack of child care during the pandemic impacted working women in New Jersey, and the effects linger on. According to a new study from the Rutgers Center for Women and Work, the way women work now is different than before the pandemic. Women have cut back on their hours or have swapped full-time jobs for part-time work. Debra Lancaster, the center’s executive director, said minority women were disproportionately affected. The report recommends that the state improve access to child care and make it more affordable; and that New Jersey should enact a state-level child tax credit.
New numbers today show inflation remains near 40-year highs. The government says the consumer price index, or CPI, jumped 8.3% in April, compared to a year ago. A few troubling trends: Food prices are up nearly 9.5% compared to a year ago. The cost of rent is also climbing. The pace of inflation slowed somewhat from March but inflation is still outpacing any gains in wages, creating hardships in particular for low-income workers and those on fixed incomes.
