For women to get back in the workforce, New Jersey needs to ‘get with the program’ | Opinion

October 21, 2021

More than 2 million women have left the workforce since the beginning of the pandemic. A major hurdle to their return is the lack of affordable childcare. It’s a nationwide problem but federal assistance funds have been available since March 2021, including $694 million in American Rescue Plan aid for struggling child care centers in New Jersey.

And what has the Garden State been doing for the last seven months? Not only sitting on the aid but failing to indicate when it will become available or how to apply for it. We’re told that the Department of Human Services is “gathering input from parents, childcare providers and other stakeholders.”

NJ.com, October 20, 2021

Recent Posts

Job Opportunity: Asst. Professor in Urban Planning

APPLY NOW AT https://jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/254087 The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy (EJB) at Rutgers University-New Brunswick seeks to hire a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor for appointment beginning July 2026. Candidates...

“Work Trends RU” Podcast with Urban Institute’s Todd Greene

This week's guest on the Heldrich Center's Work Trends RU podcast is Todd Greene, Vice President of the Work, Education, and Labor Division at the Urban Institute and Executive Director of WorkRise. Todd is also Chair of the Heldrich Center's National Advisory Board....

NJ primary 2025: Results highlight weaker party machines

Several party-endorsed Assembly candidates lost. And the gubernatorial candidate endorsed by the county party lost in 10 counties The first state election with new ballots saw five party-endorsed Assembly candidates, an unusually large number, losing in last week’s...

Will Payne Maps NYC’s “Gourmet Gentrification” Trends

Mapping elite tastes along New York City’s gourmet gentrification frontier, 1990–2015 Abstract Urban researchers have long considered the spread of upscale amenities like restaurants, cafes and bars to be important symbolic indicators of gentrification, and recent...

Lessons from COVID-19: Students Can Thrive During Hardship

by Greg Bruno for Rutgers Today Rutgers researchers find that innovation, empathy and a commitment to diversity and inclusion are critical ingredients for educational attainment At Cedar Creek Elementary in Lacey Township, N.J., “Little Lion Helpers” serve as role...