Child Care Network (CNN)

The Child Care Network, a Child Care Resourse and Referral Agency, promotes and enhances existing child care services and works to develop and increase the supply of quality and affordable child care in Atlantic County.

The Child Care Network manages and administers the following programs. Click on any program in the following list for more information or simply scroll down the page to view all programs.

Work First New Jersey/Temporary Assistance For Needy Families/ Transitional Child Care (WFNJ/TANF/TCC): If you are a WFNJ participant who is employed full-time or receiving TANF cash assistance with a child(ren) under 13 or a special needs child up to 19, you are eligible to receive full-or part-time child care

CCN staff walk the client through the appplication process step by step.

services. CCN is responsible to assist WFNJ families with finding and subsidizing child care through the TANF program. Under TANF, you choose your child care provider. You can choose a licensed child care center, a registered family day care provider or an approved home. An approved home may be a relative, friend or neighbor whose home has been inspected and meets program guidelines.

After your TANF assistance ends, you are eligible for further assistance through TCC. To receive TCC assistance, however, you must meet certain eligibility criteria, such as showing proof of employment. You are required to make a co-payment that will be assessed based on family size and income. 

New Jersey Cares For Kids (NJCK): NJCK is a child care subsidy program for low-income parents who work or attend school full-time and have children under age 13 or a special needs child up to age 19. In order to be eligible for NJCK, your annual income must fall below the current State income eligibility guidelines. Under NJCK, you choose your child care provider. You can choose from a licensed child care center, a registered family day care provider, or an approved home. An approved home may be a relative, friend or neighbor whose home has been inspected and meets program guidelines. You are required to make a co-payment that will be assessed based on family size and income.

Justin proudly displays the egg he found during the ACWC's annual Easter Egg Hunt.

NJCK also provides child care subsidy assistance if: (1) you participate in the Kinship Navigator program and have a child(ren) who lives in your home and is related to you by blood, marriage or legal guardianship, (2) you are employable and attempting to secure and retain employment with the assistance from the State's Early Employment Initiative (EEI) and/or (3) you are employed full-time and a foster parent for the Division of Youth and Family Services/Child Protective Services (DYFS/CPS).

Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R): Our CCR&R specialists collect, analyze and distribute information about the child care resources and services in Atlantic County. Through daily contact with families, child care centers and family day care providers, our CCR&R specialists are uniquely positioned to provide you with objective, accurate and up-to-date child care information specific to our area. Parents, providers, employers, and the general public can access our library of educational literature, attend a variety of parenting and child care trainings and receive our quarterly parent and provider newsletters. 

If you are a parent, our CCR&R specialists can educate you about your child care options and connect you with licensed child care providers and/or centers. You will be encouraged to visit all of the child care facilities under consideration before deciding which is best for your child(ren). Specialists can even assist you with understanding and applying for child care financial assistance. If you are a child care provider, our CCR&R specialists offer guidance, training, technical assistance, and advocacy. If you are an employer, you can seek support and assistance from our CCR&R specialists with concerns regarding your child care policies and procedures.

Parents from all over Atlantic County look to the CCN to help them find high quality and affordable child care.

Family Day Care (FDC): FDC is the care of five or fewer children in the home in which the registered provider resides. FDC is the most widely used form of child care outside of care given in the child's own home. CCN recruits, screens, trains, certifies and monitors family day care providers in accordance with the State Manual of Requirements for Family Day Care Registration. Some providers are invited to participate in our Enhanced Family Day Care Program based on a review of their progress and a history of registration compliance. Enhanced family day care providers receive additional training, services and benefits to supplement, support and promote their already high level of care.

Child Care Food Program (CCFP): CCFP is a federally funded program that provides reimbursement to registered family day care providers for meals served to children in their care. You are paid for up to two meals and one snack daily for each child enrolled in CCFP. Meals must meet basic nutritional requirements set by the US Dept. of Education, Bureau of Child Nutrition.

Child Care Heath Consultant Coordinator (CCHCC): The CCHC is a registered nurse who supports family day care providers and child care center staff with guidance and technical assistance regarding the health and safety of the children in their care. The CCHC offers answers to specific medical questions, immediate telephone advice, on-site consultation visits, health and safety-related trainings and health supervision of children. The CCHC does not offer individual treatment. She cannot prescribe, diagnose or answer any specific medical questions.

Abbott School District Services and Early Childhood Program Aid (ECPA): An Abbott district is one of 30 urban school districts in the State legally required to provide full-day, full-year preschool programs for 3 and 4-year-olds. An ECPA district is one of eight school districts in the County that have the affirmative responsibility to maximize enrollment by developing programs that meet the needs of children and families. ECPA provides for early childhood programs for four-and five-year olds before three-year-olds can be served. ACWC supports Atlantic County's Abbott and ECPA districts with guidance, training, resource development, technical assistance, disbursement of state child care subsidy support, etc.