This bill mandates the Department of Children and Families (DCF), in collaboration with the Departments of Human Services and Education, to create a unified child care finder. This platform aims to streamline access to information about licensed child care centers and registered family day care providers across New Jersey, addressing the inefficiencies of the current dual system. The child care finder will be a secure web or mobile application featuring an intuitive search interface that includes a map-based function, allowing users to locate providers, view program types, operational hours, and other relevant details. Each provider will have a dedicated profile displaying essential information, and the platform will facilitate online applications, communication between providers and families, and payment processing.

To implement this initiative, the bill allocates $3.6 million from the General Fund to DCF and requires the department to contract a qualified third-party vendor within 90 days of the bill's enactment. The vendor will be responsible for developing the child care finder, which must adhere to industry standards for data security and accessibility. A pilot version of the finder is to be launched in three counties within 270 days of vendor selection, with a full statewide rollout expected within a year. The bill also allows for additional appropriations as necessary and empowers the Commissioner of DCF to adopt regulations to support the initiative.