The Unified Child Care Division provides families in Middlesex and Somerset counties with a wide variety of assistance including a resource and referral database available to anyone living or working in either county. The Division also provides financial assistance to income eligible families who are paying for child care and resources on a wide scope of issues including: choosing child care, child development milestones, behavioral issues and other topics related to raising children.

The Division also offers extensive services to child care providers including family child care registration and training. The Division offers more than 800 hours of seminars, workshops, and conferences on current care giver topics. Health professionals are available for technical assistance and one-on-one mentoring.

Child Care Resource & Referral

• Child Care Resource and Referral provides child care referrals to families who live and work in Somerset and Middlesex counties. The program also offers technical assistance and resources to the community.
• Work First New Jersey is the current welfare-to-work initiative, established in 1997. As the Work First client prepares to enter the workforce, the CCR & R is responsible for educating clients regarding types and availability of child care in addition to finding and paying for child care services.
• New Jersey Cares for Kids (NJCK) offers subsidy payments for child care to low-income working families.
• The Infant/Toddler Quality Initiative supplies resources and consultation to child care providers in order to assist them in creating safe and healthy environments. Training and consultation is provided by a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.
• The Kinship Child Care Program offers child care support and services to family members, other than parents, who are caring for an eligible child.
• Family Child Care Registration is a voluntary program for individuals who care for five or fewer children in their own home. The Unified Child Care program recruits and trains Family Child Care Providers and inspects and monitors the family child care homes.
• The Approved Home Initiative provides enhanced services to the children of clients who receive subsidized child care through Work First New Jersey or New Jersey Cares for Kids. The Child Care Specialist works directly with the child's caregiver providing one-on-one modeling, hands-on educational experiences, resources and materials.
• Early Care & Education Initiative represents collaboration between the Perth Amboy and New Brunswick Boards of Education and their respective communities. This partnership ensures that children in designated districts receive quality pre-school services.
• The Abbott Health Consultant Program assists child care providers in designated districts in establishing safe and healthy environments through consultation and support.
• The Parent Education Program provides technical assistance and resources to parents. These resources cover all areas of child care and development.
• The Quality Initiative offers technical and financial assistance and training to child care centers that are in the process of receiving national accreditations from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
• Early Start is a statewide intervention and prevention initiative that targets children, infant through age three. Under Early Start, Family Child Care Providers receive training opportunities and support services designed to promote high quality, developmentally appropriate and creative approaches to delivering early child care services in a home-based setting.
• The Child & Adult Food Program provides partial reimbursement to Family Child Care Providers for meals served to children in their care.