Excerpt from the report:
We conducted two studies to examine the quality of infant and toddler care in New Jersey. One study was of the quality of center-based care statewide, as part of the New Jersey Department of Education's (NJDOE) effort to establish baseline data to inform the State's effort to build the coordinated early childhood data system recommended by the New Jersey Council of Young Children (NJCYC). The second study examined the quality of center-based and family home child care in Essex County with funding from the Nicholson, Schumann and Turrell Foundations. Both studies were informed by advisory groups that helped to develop the methods and questions. The key questions addressed are as follows: What is the quality of infant and toddler center-based care in New Jersey? What is the quality of this infant/toddler care in each of the twenty one counties? What are some common strengths and weaknesses of infant and toddler center-based care? For Essex County, the questions were extended to family home care and to look at specific cities within the county.