S 314 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Requires DCF to develop a unified child care finder; appropriates $3.6 million.

This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Children and Families (DCF) to create a free, statewide online tool (a "child care finder") to help families locate licensed child care centers and registered family child care providers. The tool must display location, hours, program types, fees, enrollment status, and subsidy eligibility, with secure access and accessibility compliance. It directly affects families seeking child care, licensed providers (including centers and home-based providers), and DCF by mandating a unified system for finding and enrolling children. The bill appropriates $3.6 million for development and requires the system to launch statewide within one year of vendor selection.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Jan 13, 2026
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Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Nilsa Cruz-Perez
Nilsa Cruz-Perez
DDemocratic
NJ
5