Advocates for Children of New Jersey

It's not only a challenge to keep people in the profession; there's an obvious shortfall in the number of wannabe educators coming through the pipeline.

The Garden State performs rather well compared to other states in the 2022 Kids Count Data Book, but advocates suggest more must be done to protect child health and well-being.

"I believe we are in triage mode here in our great state," said Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake.

The Garden State consistently beats national averages for each early learning metric, but New Jersey babies' health, while good compared to the rest of the United States, could improve.

"What we're desperate for at this point is an open date," said Rose Cushing, president/CEO of YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge and South Amboy.