August, 2022

Five years ago, we created the 30 Things for 30 Years campaign, describing the accomplishments and impact we have had on our country, state and communities over the prior 30 years. As we look to celebrate our 35th Anniversary with a gala this December, we're continuing the campaign with five more things SPAN has accomplished over the last five years.

Consider supporting the work SPAN does each and every day with a tax deductible donation as part of our 35th Anniversary Capital Campaign, to raise funds that will help us increase our support to parents and professionals, and our advocacy for practices that help children and communities thrive.

As part of our 35 Things, here's number 31: Family Friendly Policies.

#31. Family-Friendly Policies: Helping to Make N.J. A Better Place to Live for Families

SPAN has been active over the past five years in advocating for policies that will make New Jersey a better place to live for children and families. This work is done in collaboration with great partners such as the NJ Time to Care Coalition, NJ for Healthcare Coalition, Nurture NJ, and others. Successes include:

• Strengthening NJ’s paid family leave insurance policies to make them easier to access and more useful for our state’s lowest income workers. The maximum number of weeks of paid family leave benefits in a 12-month period increased from six to twelve weeks, and employees’ maximum weekly benefits were also increased. In addition, NJ’s Family Leave Act was amended to require employers with 30 or more employees to provide job-protected family leave, which was previously only required for employers with 50 or more employees.
• Passing paid sick leave. The Earned Sick Leave Law requires NJ employers of all sizes to provide workers with up to 40 hours of paid sick time per year to care for themselves or a family member. This time can also be used by parents to attend school-related meetings and doctors’ appointments for their children.
• Increasing health care coverage for NJ’s children. Nearly 90,000 uninsured children will gain access to healthcare coverage through the Cover All Kids campaign. Phase I eliminates the 90-day waiting period for coverage to children newly enrolling into the Children’s Health Insurance Program, removes premiums families would pay for their children enrolled in CHIP, and funds outreach efforts to boost enrollment for currently eligible children who are unenrolled. Phase 2 will provide coverage options for children of immigrants without documentation and those whose families’ incomes are over NJ FamilyCare eligibility but still find coverage unaffordable and out of reach.
• Ensuring Medicaid Network Adequacy. NJ passed legislation strengthening Medicaid network adequacy standards for pediatric primary care and specialty care by defining it to mean the adequacy of the provider network with respect to the scope and type of health care benefits provided by NJ’s managed care plans, the geographic service area covered by the provider network, and access to medical specialists.
• Extending and enhancing Medicaid coverage for pregnant individuals and those who have given birth. NJ FamilyCare now provides coverage to eligible women during their pregnancy and for one year following delivery or the date on which the pregnancy ends. A child born to an eligible woman is eligible for Medicaid for one year regardless of changes in the family’s income. Medicaid is also now covering Community Doula support for NJ’s pregnant women.
• Enhancing support for families of young children. A new $28 million grant program aimed at expanding the availability and improving the quality of infant and toddler child care options was signed into law in 2022. In addition, legislation was passed to establish a child tax credit for NJ households earning under $80,000, and simplifying the process of obtaining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) (formerly known as food stamps).

Thank you for your support of SPAN throughout our 35 years. We hope you'll consider a donation today to help make us even more impactful in our 36th year and beyond.

SPAN Parent Advocacy Network | 800-654-7726| info@spanadvocacy.org| spanadvocacy.org