The Heldrich Center, working with the Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative, has released a new comprehensive report and three new research briefs examining the experiences, challenges, and training needs of New Jersey’s child care workforce.

The report, Findings from a Statewide Survey of Lead and Assistant Teachers in New Jersey’s Licensed Child Care Centers: An Overview and Comparison of Perspectives, presents findings from a statewide survey of 1,953 lead and assistant teachers. The research examines job satisfaction, career aspirations, workplace conditions, financial circumstances, and professional development and training needs. Among the findings, 91% of respondents reported being somewhat or extremely satisfied with their jobs, while 68% agreed that they do not earn enough to financially support themselves and their families.

A companion research brief provides an overview of the report’s findings and their policy implications. The research points to potential strategies involving career pathways and recruitment, greater awareness and availability of training opportunities, and approaches to improving the economic stability of the child care workforce.

A second brief, Voices of the Family Child Care Workforce in New Jersey: Findings from a Statewide Survey, focuses on 208 registered family child care providers surveyed across the state. Eighty-one percent reported being satisfied with their work, and 93% intended to remain family child care providers for at least the next six months to one year. These providers also reported operational and financial challenges. Among the most frequently cited challenges were difficulty taking time off, lack of resources, and working with children with special needs. Health insurance and retirement benefits were also significant concerns. At the same time, 81% said additional training would benefit their work.

The third brief, New Jersey’s Child Care Workforce: Training Topics of Interest for Child Care Providers, examines professional development needs. Lead and assistant teachers most frequently identified training related to behavioral issues and working with children with special needs as priorities, while family child care providers placed child development first. Across settings, workers also expressed interest in training on planning learning activities. The brief also identifies barriers that can make professional development difficult to access. Inconvenient scheduling was the most frequently reported barrier among both family child care providers and lead and assistant teachers, followed by factors including cost and limited availability of training. Lead and assistant teachers also cited a lack of classroom coverage or substitute teachers.