The Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative has released two new research reports by Heldrich Center researchers.

New Jersey’s Child Care Workforce: An Examination of Administrative Wage Data from 2015 to 2023, by Andrea Hetling, Ph.D., Ann Obadan, Ph.D., Liana Lin, and María Belén Conde Oviedo, uses data from the New Jersey Statewide Data System to examine annual employment trends, demographic characteristics, and wage patterns of New Jersey’s child care workforce from 2015 to 2023. The analysis shows that the COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on the child care sector, leading to a substantial reduction in the workforce and a shift toward more part-time work, from which the sector has not yet fully recovered. Despite modest wage growth over the study period, compensation remains significantly lower than in comparable occupations. Findings point to the need for strategic investment and policy reform aimed at increasing pay and supporting a more stable child care workforce.

The Child Care Workforce in New Jersey: Findings from Focus Groups with Providers, by Liana Lin and Lillian McFarland, presents findings from the Heldrich Center’s post-survey focus groups of family child care providers and assistant teachers. Family child care providers run registered child care businesses out of their homes, while assistant teachers are employed by licensed child care centers. Focus group participants shared their motivations, the barriers and challenges they face in their work, and their recommendations for improving working conditions in the field. Additionally, assistant teachers discussed the workplace dynamics they encounter working with head/lead teachers. While family child care providers and assistant teachers were unified in experiencing similar challenges with their work, particularly centered on pay, the unique workplace environments for these two segments of the child care workforce also revealed interesting divergences in career pathways and priorities for employment.

The Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative comprises the Heldrich Center, the Center for Women and Work, and the National Institute for Early Education Research, all based at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Funded by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, the Collaborative conducts research and facilitates community conversations that develop a broad and comprehensive understanding of New Jersey’s child care landscape. This research aims to increase understanding of the needs and interests of parents, the supply and motivations of the child care workforce, and the capacity of the child care sector to meet the demand for child care today and into the future within New Jersey.