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Four in five New Jersey parents who want after-school child care can’t enroll their children, according to a new survey.

Cost is the most common barrier, followed by accessibility, parents said in the survey. Many low-income New Jersey families have relied on state subsidies to bring down the cost, but the child care assistance program is now closed to new applicants.

State lawmakers declined to fund the full cost of the program in the latest annual state budget, although they introduced legislation to fully fund the subsidies.

Child care offers widespread benefits to parents and child

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