On June 1, 2007 Day Care Centers faced new environmental requirements for licensing and renewal of licenses.  They are required to obtain a No Further Action (NFA) letter from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection before submitting their new or renewal application to Department of Children and Families.  The first step of the NFA process is the Preliminary Assessment. 

The legislature recognized the financial strain this new requirement placed on many of the day care centers and therefore enacted financial assistance legislation to help pay for the Preliminary Assessment Report effective November 6, 2007.  The legislation allows the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to work with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to provide a grant of $1,500 from the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund to owners or prospective owners of a child care center to prepare a Preliminary Assessment.    NJDEP will be administering the program and they have until November to develop the application process.

Watch our website for updates on the rules and regulations necessary to implement this program.