Establishes "College Child Care Advisory Commission" to examine issues and develop recommendations on providing programs and services for college students who require child care services.

A4595

ASSEMBLY, No. 4595

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes �College Child Care Advisory Commission�
to examine issues and develop recommendations on providing programs and
services for college students who require child care services.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

establishing the �College Child Care Advisory
Commission� to examine issues and develop recommendations on providing programs
and services for college students who require child care services.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� There is established the
�College Child Care Advisory Commission.� The commission shall consist of 15
members, including:

���� a.���� the Secretary of Higher
Education, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;

���� b.��� the Commissioner of
Education, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;�

���� c.���� one member appointed by
the President of the Senate and one member appointed by the Minority Leader of
the Senate, both of whom shall be members of the public with demonstrated
expertise in issues relating to the work of the commission;

���� d.��� one member appointed by
the Speaker of the General Assembly and one member appointed by the Minority
Leader of the General Assembly, both of whom shall be members of the public
with demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work of the commission;
and

���� e.���� nine members appointed
by the Governor, who shall include: three elementary school principals, one
each from an urban, suburban, and rural school district; a teacher who is
employed in an SDA district as defined pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2000, c.72
(C.18A:7G-3); a representative of a licensed child care center; a
representative of a school- or center-based preschool program; a representative
of a New Jersey Head Start program; a representative of a registered family
child care provider; and a student who is attending a public institution of
higher education in the State who has a child in a licensed child care center,
a school- or center-based preschool program, a New Jersey Head Start program,
or a registered family child care provider program.

���� 2.��� All appointments shall
be made within 30 days of the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the
membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original
appointments were made. Members of the commission shall serve without
compensation, but shall be entitled to actual and necessary expenses incurred
in the performance of their duties within the limits of funds made available to
the commission for its purposes.

���� 3.��� The commission shall
organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members, but
not later than 60 days after the effective date of this act. The commission
shall choose a chairperson from among its members and shall appoint a secretary
who need not be a member of the commission.

���� 4.��� It shall be the duty of
the commission to examine issues and develop recommendations on providing
programs and services for college students who require child care services. The
duties of the commission shall include, but need not be limited to:

���� a.���� compiling statistics on
the number of students attending institutions of higher education who have a
child in a licensed child care center, a school- or center-based preschool
program, a New Jersey Head Start program, or a registered family child care
provider program;

���� b.��� reviewing the programs
and services offered by institutions of higher education to address the needs
of college students who require child care services and the availability of any
child care grants or subsidies available through institutions of higher education
or government entities;

���� c.���� promoting partnerships
among institutions of higher education and licensed child care centers, school-
or center-based preschool programs, New Jersey Head Start programs, and
registered family child care providers to determine if campus facilities could
be used to provide child care services to students attending the institutions
who require those services;

���� d.��� examining other states
which have implemented programs that have successfully partnered institutions
of higher education with child care service providers; and

���� e.���� reviewing any other proposals
that the commission determines may improve college students� access to child
care programs and services.

���� 5.��� The Office of the
Secretary of Higher Education shall provide such stenographical, clerical, and
other administrative assistants, and such professional staff as the commission
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.

���� 6.��� The commission shall
issue a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor, to
the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), and to
the president of each institution of higher education no later than one year
after the commission organizes.

���� 7.��� This
act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the commission�s
issuance of its final report and recommendations.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the �College
Child Care Advisory Commission.�� The commission will be composed of 15
members, including: the Secretary of Higher Education and the Commissioner of
Education, or their designees; one member appointed by the President of the
Senate, one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, one member
appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and one member appointed by
the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, all four of whom are members of
the public with demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work of the
commission; and nine members appointed by the Governor, including: three
elementary school principals, one each from an urban, suburban, and rural
school district; a teacher who is employed in an SDA district; a representative
of a licensed child care center; a representative of a school- or center-based
preschool program; a representative of a New Jersey Head Start program; a
representative of a registered family child care provider; and a student who is
attending a public institution of higher education in the State who has a child
in a licensed child care center, a school- or center-based preschool program, a
New Jersey Head Start program, or a registered family child care provider
program.

���� Under the bill, the commission
will examine issues and develop recommendations on providing programs and
services for college students who require child care services. At a minimum, the
duties of the commission will include:

�

compiling
statistics on the number of students attending institutions of higher education
who have a child in a licensed child care center, a school- or center-based
preschool program, a New Jersey Head Start program, or a registered family
child care provider program;

�

reviewing
the programs and services offered by institutions of higher education to
address the needs of college students who require child care services and the
availability of any child care grants or subsidies available through
institutions of higher education or government entities;

�

promoting
partnerships among institutions of higher education and licensed child care
centers, school- or center-based preschool programs, New Jersey Head Start
programs, and registered family child care providers to determine if campus
facilities could be used to provide child care services to students attending
the institutions who require those services;

�

examining
other states which have implemented programs that have successfully partnered
institutions of higher education with child care service providers; and

�

reviewing
any other proposals that the commission determines may improve college
students� access to child care programs and services.

���� The bill directs the
commission to issue a final report of its findings and recommendations to the
Governor, the Legislature, and to the president of each institution of higher
education no later than one year after the commission organizes.