Child Care Subsidies & Assistance in New Jersey
New Jersey CCAP covers families up to 250% FPL at entry, up to 85% SMI in a phase-out year. Fully reopened to new applicants April 2026 after a 2025 funding pause. Refundable state CDCC (10–50% of expenses) and refundable Child Tax Credit up to $1,000 per child age 5 or under.
Data current as of June 22, 2026
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Child care subsidy (CCDF) in New Jersey
- Program name
- Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) — also known as NJ Cares for Kids
- Administered by
- New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Family Development (DFD); local intake through county Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agencies
- Income ceiling
- Multi-tier. Tier D (entry / redetermination) up to 250% of the federal poverty level. Tier E (Graduated Phase-Out, one year only at redetermination) up to 85% State Median Income. Families must report income over 85% SMI within 10 calendar days.
- Family fee / copay
- Sliding-scale copay set by N.J.A.C. 10:15-2.2, based on family income, family size, hours of care needed, and number of children. Three FPL bands (≤100%, 101–200%, ≥201% FPL). Families at or below 100% FPL and children in DCP&P protective services pay $0. Tier E families pay higher copays during the phase-out year. No fixed percentage-of-income cap in state rule. (The federal 7% benchmark from the 2024 ACF Final Rule was rescinded effective July 13, 2026 (published May 12, 2026), so the copay ceiling is whatever NJ DFD publishes in the N.J.A.C. 10:15 Appendix copay scale.)
- Waitlist status
- Recently re-opened — New Jersey paused new CCAP applications effective August 1, 2025 due to a funding shortfall, did a limited priority-group reopening in December 2025 / January 2026, and fully reopened to all eligible families on April 9, 2026. The activity requirement also rose from 20 to 25 hours per week effective October 1, 2025.
Income limits by family size
| Family size | Initial eligibility ceiling (annual, 250% FPL) |
|---|---|
| 2 | $54,100 |
| 3 | $68,300 |
| 4 | $82,500 |
| 5 | $96,700 |
| 6 | $110,900 |
| 7 | $125,100 |
| 8 | $139,300 |
- Initial eligibility ceiling (annual, 250% FPL): 250% of the 2026 HHS federal poverty guidelines (effective January 13, 2026). Maximum income for new applicants (Tier D). Calculated from confirmed 2026 FPL data; verify exact amounts with NJ DFD. The Tier E GPO ceiling (85% SMI, renewal only) is not shown — contact DFD for those figures.
New Jersey DFD Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The official income eligibility chart could not be retrieved (childcarenj.gov is Cloudflare-restricted to browsers and no accessible alternative source published the full table). Column 1 (250% FPL initial ceiling) is calculated from 250% of the 2026 HHS federal poverty guidelines (Federal Register Vol. 91, No. 10, January 15, 2026, effective January 13, 2026): $33,000/year for a family of four, with each additional household member raising the 250% ceiling by $14,200 (a per-person FPL increment of about $5,680). NJ may not yet have refreshed its published chart to the 2026 FPL year; verify current dollar amounts with DFD before applying. The Tier E Graduated Phase-Out (GPO) ceiling at 85% NJ State Median Income (approximately $80,000–$120,000+ depending on family size for recent years) is not included here because the exact amounts could not be verified from publicly accessible sources — contact NJ DFD or a local CCR&R for the current 85% SMI chart. No family-of-1 row published (program requires a dependent child). Effective January 13, 2026; check the state portal for the latest figures.
Priority groups (served first)
- Families with very low incomes
- Families with children with special needs
- Families experiencing homelessness (federal McKinney-Vento definition)
- Children under DCP&P protective supervision
- WorkFirst NJ / TANF transition families
State pre-K in New Jersey
- Program name
- New Jersey Preschool Program (Abbott Preschool + Preschool Expansion Aid)
- Administered by
- New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), Division of Early Childhood Education
- Access
- Income-targeted
- Eligibility
- 3- and 4-year-olds in participating districts. No income test within expansion districts — programs are offered free to all enrolled children there. About half of New Jersey districts still lack a public pre-K program.
- Coverage
- 65,365 children enrolled in 2024-25 (NIEER 2025 Yearbook). State spending of about $18,848 per child; New Jersey meets 9–10 of 10 NIEER quality benchmarks. The 2025 Universal Preschool and Full-Day Kindergarten Act (S3910/A5717, signed July 9, 2025) commits to universal free preschool plus full-day kindergarten by the 2029-30 school year.
State tax credits & extras in New Jersey
- State CDCC
- Refundable. 10% to 50% on a sliding scale by NJ taxable income of the federal CDCC. Refundable. Tiers (TY 2021–2025): ≤$30,000 = 50%; $30,001–$60,000 = 40%; $60,001–$90,000 = 30%; $90,001–$120,000 = 20%; $120,001–$150,000 = 10%. Cap at $150,000 NJ taxable income. Filed with NJ Division of Taxation.
Other state programs and credits
- New Jersey Child Tax Credit — refundable, up to $1,000 per child age 5 or underRefundable state credit per qualifying child age 5 or under, by NJ taxable income (TY 2024–2025): ≤$30,000 = $1,000 per child; $30,001–$40,000 = $800; $40,001–$50,000 = $600; $50,001–$60,000 = $400; $60,001–$80,000 = $200. Ceiling at $80,000 NJ taxable income.
Where to apply or get help in New Jersey
- Find a licensed daycare in New JerseyChildery directory — quality ratings, ZIP & city search
- New Jersey child care portalwww.childcarenj.gov/
- Eligibility screenerwww.childcarenj.gov/calculator
- Combined benefits applicationwww.nj.gov/humanservices/
- New Jersey 211 (dial 2-1-1)www.nj211.org/
- Apply for CCAP — childcarenj.govwww.childcarenj.gov/Parents/CCAP
- Child Care Connection NJ (CCR&R directory)childcareconnection-nj.org/
- NJ Preschool Program — NJDOEwww.nj.gov/education/earlychildhood/preschool/
- New Jersey Child and Dependent Care Credit — Treasurywww.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/depcarecred.shtml
- Federal childcare.gov — New Jersey resourceschildcare.gov/state-resources/new-jersey
Find a daycare in New Jersey
Once you know what you qualify for, Childery's directory helps you pick a provider. Browse New Jersey's licensed daycares with independent Process and Structural quality ratings, or search by ZIP code or city.
Browse New Jersey daycaresSources
- NJ Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) — childcarenj.gov
- DHS press release — CCAP fully reopened April 9, 2026 (2026)
- NJ Division of Taxation — Child and Dependent Care Credit
- S3910/A5717 — Universal Preschool & Full-Day Kindergarten Act (signed July 9, 2025) (2025)
- NIEER 2025 New Jersey State Profile (2025)
- Federal childcare.gov — New Jersey resources
- N.J.A.C. 10:15 — Child Care Services (copay scale at 10:15-2.2 + Appendix)
- Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines — Federal Register Vol. 91, No. 10 (Jan 15, 2026) (2026)
Every state layers its own program on top of a federal floor — CCDF (the federal block grant), Head Start, the federal DCFSA (employer pre-tax benefit), and the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit. See the federal overview for what the floor looks like before any state adds.