The New Jersey State Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, totaling $58.8 billion with a projected surplus of $6.7 billion, was approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy before the June 30 deadline. This budget aims to benefit New Jersey residents in the coming year through various programs and services.
Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) participated actively throughout the process, advocating for essential investments that support children and families.
The budget allocates $565.8 million to the NJ Child Care Assistance Program to assist low-income families with child care costs for children aged 0-13. Additionally, it includes $34.6 million in new funding to expand free, universal pre-K across communities and an extra $10 million to help launch new preschool programs.
For K-12 education, New Jersey's schools will receive full funding under the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) for the second consecutive year, with an additional $386 million in aid—the largest school aid contribution in state history. There is also $3 million allocated for incentive grants to help school districts transition to phone-free learning environments and $7.5 million in grant funding for high-impact tutoring.
In addressing hunger and food insecurity, the budget provides $30 million to maintain a minimum monthly SNAP benefit of $95 for about 40,000 households and allocates $85 million in aid for food banks and emergency feeding organizations.
Maternal health receives significant attention with a provision of nearly $36 million to expand Family Connects NJ offering free home visitations for postpartum mothers and newborns, over $50 million invested in women's health care programs beyond state-sponsored insurance, and another $5.2 million designated for the newly created Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority.
Child health continues with funding support through Cover All Kids and NJ FamilyCare expected to provide free health insurance coverage up to 867,000 children.
Mental health resources are bolstered with a statewide system receiving a boost from a $43 million allocation towards the NJ Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) Network.
The budget also dedicates approximately $20 million toward maintaining the Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation (ARRIVE) Together program which pairs police officers with mental health professionals during crisis responses.
Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation on July 11, 2025, expanding access to early childhood education further solidifying his commitment toward these initiatives.
ACNJ has promised ongoing updates post-budget as more information becomes available.
