There’s an overlooked group of parents in Egg Harbor Township who are denied daycare tuition assistance from New Jersey's Childcare Assistance Program. 

Tuition fees in Atlantic County can range from $2,100 per month for full-time children enrolled at the age of birth to 29-months or from $1,500 per month for full-time children enrolled at the age of 30-months to children under 13 years old. For part-time enrolled children, the rates vary from $1,000 per month from ages birth to 29-months and $700 per month for ages 30-months to under 13 years old.

The 2023 United States Census Bureau reported Egg Harbor Township to have a population of 47,861 residents with 6.1% of households confirming children under 5 years of age.  Without knowing exactly how many children reside in each home, we’ve estimated EHT to have 2,919 children who are under 5 years old.  These children are either able to attend the township’s pre-school program and no longer need daycare, or they belong to a household who receives daycare assistance through New Jersey’s CCAP, or the children ages newborn up to 3 years old and their parents can benefit from our program.

Without qualifying for assistance, parents are forced to consider leaving the workforce or having one parent leave the workforce, or utilizing an unsafe daycare option, and/or working an additional job/overtime hours leading to head of household absenteeism, or placing daycare tuition as the primary bill jeopardizing the household economy for housing, food security, healthcare, and transportation. 

Our daycare center will address this gap by offering a sliding scale tuition model based on financial need, verified through a review of each family's financial history and current childcare assistance status. We will also address the need for more holistic support systems for parents. By providing a community center with skill-building opportunities, we aim to empower parents to improve their job prospects, thereby increasing their ability to afford daycare and improving their overall economic stability.

Our overall objective is to provide an innovative learning environment and curriculum according to age and comprehension level. We will also strengthen the strengths of children with specialties like gardening, music and arts, and basic STEM activities.

The Family Resource Center will also present free extracurricular activities, events, and services centered around strengthening parents, familial bonds, and the Egg Harbor Township community at-large.