CWA Childcare Providers Win Continued Enrollment-Based Pay in N.J.

Childcare is an expensive prospect for many working families, and in New Jersey, childcare can constitute up to 19% of a typical family’s weekly income. Over the last several months, In-Home Childcare Providers, represented by CWA Local 1037, with support from organizing partner N.J. Communities United, mobilized, lobbied, and sent over 5,000 letters and calls to N.J. legislators demanding they extend enrollment-based pay for childcare workers.

During the COVID pandemic, childcare proved to be a crucial component undergirding the entire economy. Extending the enrollment-based pay system would ensure that childcare workers have steady, reliable income even if attendance shifts unexpectedly.

“The funding for us being paid by enrollment is crucial,” said Jocelyn Tomaszewski, a 1037 Family Childcare Provider based in Burlington who has worked in childcare for 41 years. “We offer very high-quality educational programs, but we’ve been in crisis for a long time—always underpaid and underfunded.”

The New Jersey FY 2025 Budget was signed into law on June 28, securing enrollment-based payments throughout the end of 2024 and the continuation of the Temporary COVID Differential Payments so provider rates can stay the same—a huge win for childcare workers and families.

Members of CWA Local 1037 celebrated a victory, getting enrollment-based pay signed into law as part of the New Jersey FY 2025 budget.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.