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Policy Brief/Analysis

Building a Data Dashboard for Child Care in New Jersey

A Concept Paper

workforce
Date

November 10, 2025

Authors

Karin Garver

W. Steven Barnett

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This concept paper outlines a proposed data dashboard for New Jersey’s child care system, designed to provide real‐time insights on child-care supply, parental demand, workforce capacity, costs, and affordability. The paper draws on exemplars from other states with child care-focused data dashboards. The goal of this concept paper is to illustrate the kind of interactive interface that may be possible in New Jersey to support decision-making by families, state agencies, providers, researchers, and other stakeholders.

Key Highlights

  • A data dashboard specific to child care supply and demand can provide useful information to families, state agencies, legislators, and/or researchers.
  • The purpose, goals, and intended audience for the dashboard will drive how it is built and what data it displays.
  • Several other states have operational systems that New Jersey can use as examples to inform the design and implementation of a data dashboard.
  • Engaging the dashboard’s target audience in both the design and implementation phases will help to ensure it meets its intended goals.

Tagged:

Workforce
Systems & Governance
Program Effectiveness
Workforce

The Authors

karin garver

Karin Garver is an Early Childhood Education Policy Specialist at NIEER. Her research interests are in national and state early education policy trends, inclusive opportunities for preschool children with disabilities, data systems, systems integration, and public program finance.

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w. steven barnett

W. Steven (Steve) Barnett is a Board of Governors Professor and the founder and Senior Co-Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University. Dr. Barnett’s work primarily focuses on public policies regarding early childhood education, child care, and child development.

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About NIEER

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, conducts and disseminates independent research and analysis to inform early childhood education policy.

Suggested Citation

Garver, K., & Barnett, W.S. (2025). Building a Data Dashboard for Child Care in New Jersey. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research.

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