Establishes Commission on High-Quality Affordable Early Childhood Care and Education; makes appropriation.

A5262

ASSEMBLY, No. 5262

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED JUNE 15, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Commission on High-Quality Affordable
Early Childhood Care and Education; makes appropriation.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing the Commission on High-Quality Affordable
Early Childhood Care and Education in New Jersey
and making an
appropriation
.

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

���� 1.� a.� There is established
in, but not of, the Department of Children and Families the Commission on High-Quality
Affordable Early Childhood Care and Education. �The commission shall:

���� (1)�� be independent of any
supervision or control by the department except as expressly authorized under
this act;

���� (2)�� operate in coordination
with the Governor�s Office;

���� (3)�� be considered part of
the Governor�s policy and strategic planning efforts related to early childhood
care and education;

���� (4)�� report directly to the
Governor and the Legislature; and

���� (5)�� provide periodic
briefings to the Governor�s Office to ensure alignment with Statewide
priorities.

���� b.� The purpose of the
commission shall be to:

���� (1)�� evaluate existing
institutional structures and funding mechanisms for the delivery of early childhood
care and education in the State, identifying any gaps in funding and access;

���� (2)�� recommend sustainable,
equitable solutions to support early childhood care and education; and

���� (3)�� develop a comprehensive
strategy for ensuring universal access to high-quality affordable early
childhood care and education throughout the State for children from birth to 5
years of age.

���� c.� The commission shall
consist of 19 members as follows:

���� (1)�� the Commissioner of
Education, or the commissioner�s designee; the Commissioner of Children and
Families, or the commissioner�s designee; the Commissioner of Human Services, or
the commissioner�s designee; the State Treasurer, or the Treasurer's designee; the
Executive Director of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, or the
executive director�s designee; and

���� (2)�� 14 public members to be appointed
by the Governor as follows: a representative from higher education; two
representatives of the New Jersey business community; a representative of the
financial services industry in the State; a representative of labor unions in
the State; a representative of registered family child care providers in the
State; a representative of licensed child care centers in the State; a
representative of Head Start programs in the State; a representative of school
districts operating preschool programs in the State; two parents of children
enrolled in an early childhood care and education program in the State; and three
members representing Statewide early childhood policy and advocacy
organizations with demonstrated experience in Statewide systems-building,
legislative engagement, and provider and workforce representation.

���� A vacancy occurring in the
membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original
appointment, but for the unexpired term only.

���� d.� The commission shall
organize as soon as may be practicable following the appointment of a quorum of
its members and shall conduct its first meeting within 60 days of the effective
date of this act.

���� e.� The commission shall elect
a chairperson and vice chairperson, and shall select a secretary, who need not
be a member of the commission.

���� f.� The commission may
formulate and adopt rules of procedure and operation in furtherance of its
responsibilities.� The commission may divide itself into such subcommittees and
task forces, which �subcommittees and task forces may include persons other
than members of the commission, such as academics, government officers, or
professionals, and may enter into such cooperative arrangements with academic
or research institutions, as the subcommittees and task forces deem necessary
to accomplish the commission�s purposes. �Persons serving on a subcommittee or task
force, other than the members of the commission, shall serve at the appointment
of the chairperson and shall be non-voting participants in the task force. �

���� g.� The commission may meet
and hold hearings at such places and times as it shall designate, but it shall
conduct at least three public hearings in different parts of the State.

���� h.� The members of the
commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be entitled to
reimbursement for all necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their
duties.� Each member of the commission may be removed from office by the
Governor, for cause, upon notice and opportunity to be heard.

���� i.� The duties of the
commission shall be to:

���� (1)�� assess the current state
of early childhood care and education funding, affordability, accessibility,
and quality;

���� (2)�� identify innovative and
sustainable strategies for financing high-quality early childhood care and
education, ensuring affordability for families, and professional compensation
for child care providers;

���� (3)�� assess what other states
have done to sustain and strengthen early childhood care and education;

���� (4)�� evaluate strategies for
creating, growing and retaining an early childhood care and education workforce;

���� (5)�� assess how the expansion
of universal preschool impacts the child care infrastructure in New Jersey;

���� (6)�� determine the potential return
on investment in universally available high-quality affordable early childhood
care and education for the State and for families in the State;

���� (7)�� conduct a detailed
analysis of early childhood care and education costs for families and
providers, including market disparities and workforce compensation;

���� (8)�� explore models from
other states to inform best practices; and

���� (9)�� engage with the public
and stakeholders through hearings, surveys, and focus groups to understand
needs and priorities.

���� j.� The Department of Children
and Families shall provide such stenographic, clerical, and other
administrative assistants, and such professional staff as the task force
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.

���� k.� The commission may hire
such staff and consultants as it deems appropriate.

���� l.� The commissioner shall
prepare and submit to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991,
c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Legislature an interim report, within 18 months of
the effective date of this act, and a final report, within 24 months of the
effective date of this act, which reports shall include a summary of the
commission�s activities and any recommendations for legislative and executive
action, including recommendations concerning:

���� (1)�� an institutional
structure to make high-quality affordable early childhood care and education
universally available throughout the State, including a competent, well-trained
workforce and periodic program evaluations to assure quality;

���� (2)�� sources of funding for early
childhood care and education; and

���� (3)�� policies to promote
equity in access and quality in early childhood care and education.

���� 2.� There is appropriated from
the General Fund to the Commission on High-Quality Affordable Early Childhood
Care and Education such sums as are necessary to implement the provisions of
this act.

���� 3. �This act shall take effect
immediately and expire upon the issuance of the final report by the commission
pursuant to subsection l. of section 1 of this act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the Commission
on High-Quality Affordable Early Childhood Care and Education in, but not of,
the Department of Children and Families.� The purpose of the commission will be
to:� evaluate existing institutional structures and funding mechanisms for the
delivery of early childhood care and education in the State, identifying any
gaps in funding and access; recommend sustainable, equitable solutions to support
early childhood care and education; and develop a comprehensive strategy for
ensuring universal access to high-quality affordable early childhood care and
education throughout the State for children from birth to 5 years of age.

���� The commission will consist of
19 members as follows:� the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner�s
designee; the Commissioner of Children and Families, or the commissioner�s
designee; the Commissioner of Human Services, or the commissioner�s designee; the
State Treasurer, or the Treasurer's designee; the Executive Director of the New
Jersey Economic Development Authority, or the executive director�s designee;
and 14 public members to be appointed by the Governor as follows:� a
representative from higher education; two representatives of the New Jersey
business community; ��������������� a representative of the financial services
industry in the State; a representative of labor unions in the State; a
representative of registered family child care providers in the State; a
representative of licensed child care centers in the State; a representative of
Head Start programs in the State; a representative of school districts
operating preschool programs in the State; two parents of children enrolled in
an early childhood care and education program in the State; and three members who
represent Statewide early childhood policy and advocacy organizations.

���� The commission may formulate
and adopt rules of procedure and operation in furtherance of its
responsibilities.� The commission may divide itself into such subcommittees and
task forces, which subcommittees and task forces may include persons other than
members of the commission, such as academics, government officers, or
professionals, and may enter into such cooperative arrangements with academic
or research institutions, as the subcommittees and task forces deem necessary
to accomplish the commission�s purposes.� Persons serving on a task force,
other than the members of the commission, will serve at the appointment of the
chairperson and will be non-voting participants in the task force.� The
commission may meet and hold hearings at such places and times as it shall
designate, but it will conduct at least three public hearings in different
parts of the State.

���� The duties of the commission
will be to:

���� (1)�� assess the current state
of early childhood care and education funding, affordability, accessibility,
and quality;

���� (2)�� identify innovative and
sustainable strategies for financing high-quality early childhood care and
education, ensuring affordability for families, and professional compensation
for child care providers;

���� (3)�� assess what other states
have done to sustain and strengthen early childhood care and education;

���� (4)�� evaluate strategies for
creating, growing and retaining a early childhood care and education workforce;

���� (5)�� assess how the expansion
of universal preschool impacts the early childhood care and education infrastructure
in New Jersey;

���� (6)�� determine what the
return on investment in universally available high-quality affordable early
childhood care and education would be for the State and for families in the
State;

���� (7)�� conduct a detailed
analysis of child care costs for families and providers, including market
disparities and workforce compensation;

���� (8)�� explore models from
other states to inform best practices; and

���� (9)�� engage with the public
and stakeholders through hearings, surveys, and focus groups to understand
needs and priorities.

���� The commission may hire such
staff and consultants as it deems appropriate.

���� The bill requires the
commissioner to prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature an
interim report and a final report, which reports will include a summary of the
commission�s activities and any recommendations for legislative and executive
action.