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The Child Care Workforce in New Jersey: Findings from Focus Groups with Providers. Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative

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  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development. Rutgers University, 30 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. Tel: 732-932-4100; Fax: 732-932-3454; e-mail: hcwd@rci.rutgers.edu; Web site: https://www.heldrich.rutgers.edu/
    • Peer Reviewed:
      N
    • Source:
      26
    • Sponsoring Agency:
      New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF)
    • Education Level:
      Early Childhood Education
    • Subject Terms:
      Child Caregivers; Child Care Centers; Child Care Occupations; Early Childhood Education; Teacher Motivation; Barriers; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Aides; Employee Attitudes
    • Subject Terms:
      New Jersey
    • Abstract:
      The John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is part of a multi-center collaborative project focused on child care in New Jersey. Through this work, the Heldrich Center is conducting an evaluation of the child care workforce through a multi-modal research approach, comprised of focus groups and surveys. The research team held two series of focus groups--one with family child care (FCC) providers and another with assistant teachers working in licensed child care centers--to build on survey findings and engage more deeply with survey respondents. For FCC providers, the research team conducted five virtual focus groups in December 2024 and January 2025, which included 34 FCC providers. For licensed child care center staff, the research team conducted six virtual focus groups in May and June 2025, and connected with a total of 37 assistant teachers working in licensed child care centers in New Jersey. This report shares findings and recommendations from the post-survey focus groups, which ultimately served to amplify child care workers' voices, providing deeper insights and adding critical context to the prevailing themes from the Heldrich Center's surveys of New Jersey's child care workforce. The discussions that emerged from these focus groups reveal the complexities of workers' motivations, job satisfaction, challenges, and recommendations for improving the child care field as a whole.
    • Abstract:
      ERIC
    • Publication Date:
      2026
    • Accession Number:
      ED679595