child care

Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Rep. Donald Payne were at Newark Liberty International Airport this morning to greet Vice President Kamala Harris, who is visiting New Jersey, and Montclair, to push for broader COVID-19 vaccination eligibility and expanded early childcare availability.

With more school districts deciding to choose all-remote learning or hybrid instruction, working parents face child care challenges as the pandemic continues into the fall.

Child care centers initially were allowed to stay open during the pandemic, after the schools were ordered to close, since families still needed child care. However, on March 28, Murphy ordered all child care centers to close on April 1 unless they could verify that they were caring only for the children of essential workers.

On Friday, May 29, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that daycare centers that have been closed due to the pandemic can reopen on June 15. Since March, only daycares which cared for children of essential workers have been open.

While unable to have their students physically in class, the Ben Samuels Center continues it's early-childhood lessons and therapy via virtual means.

New Jersey daycares will have to close by April 1 unless they can verify by March 27 that they are caring only for the children of essential workers, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.