About Start Strong NJ
The statewide Start Strong NJ campaign unites parents, business leaders, early childhood educators, and funders behind the goal of making high-quality child care affordable for every New Jersey family that needs it.
Pressures on families today are immense. There never seems to be enough time – and everything costs more than it used to. For too many families, decisions about how to raise children are driven by necessity, not preference. The crunch affects families in every part of New Jersey and at all income levels. And with child care costing many families more than their rent or mortgage, it’s too big a problem to solve on their own.
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The lack of affordable child care hurts everyone, costing New Jersey $5 billion a year in decreased earnings, business productivity, and tax revenue needed to pay for important services. Start Strong NJ champions common sense policy solutions to give every child the strong start needed for lifelong health and well-being and build a strong New Jersey economy.
Our Mission & Core Tenets
Three principles guide the Start Strong NJ campaign:
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Make child care affordable for New Jersey families
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Compensate early childhood educators as professionals
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Recognize and fund childcare as essential economic infrastructure
Campaign Leadership & Members
Leadership
DIRECTOR
Winifred Smith-Jenkins
In 2023, ACNJ welcomed Winifred Smith-Jenkins as the Director of Early Learning Policy and Advocacy. With an impressive professional background spanning over two decades in managing three successful family-owned child care programs in northern New Jersey, Winifred brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role at ACNJ. Her expertise in child care and early learning, along with her extensive management experience, where she was responsible for leading approximately 100 employees, building relationships, managing commercial acquisition, construction, project management, flood mitigation, disaster preparedness, and community service initiatives, will prove invaluable in guiding ACNJ's policy work and overall operations. Prior to her appointment as Director, Winifred was actively engaged in ACNJ's advocacy efforts, offering testimony, presenting on webinars, and meeting with public officials to effect change on a statewide level. Currently, as the leader of the early learning policy team, she works closely with key stakeholders to advance ACNJ's mission of ensuring affordable, quality early learning is accessible to all families in need. Winifred's proven track record of community involvement is extensive, having served on several committees, including the South Orange Maplewood School District Preschool Reopening Committee, the East Orange Preschool Advisory Council, and the former East Orange Mayoral Economic Development and Education Transition Team. She has also volunteered as a Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad member and served as a State of New Jersey Licensed Foster Parent and Certified Emergency Medical Technician. Winifred is a member of several professional and national organizations, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the New Jersey Association for Infant Mental Health, Delta Sigma Theta, and Jack and Jill of America. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Master of Science in Health Administration, and a Doctorate in Higher Education. Her vast experience, deep commitment to child advocacy, and dedication to community involvement make her an invaluable addition to ACNJ's team of early learning policy experts.
CO-CHAIR
Sharon Levine
Sharon Levine serves as Campaign Director for Start Strong NJ, a non-partisan statewide campaign working to put affordable, high-quality child care within reach of all New Jersey families. At Start Strong, Sharon works to tackle the child care crisis and amplify the critical role child care plays in helping parents stay employed, boosting business productivity, and powering economic growth. Sharon is a seasoned governmental affairs and communications leader with extensive experience shaping public policy and advocacy, having worked at the intersection of state policy and community impact throughout her career. She is known for her strategic insight, strong legislative and community relationships, and ability to communicate complex issues with clarity and impact. In her previous role as Senior Director of Governmental Affairs & Communications at The Arc of New Jersey, Sharon led statewide advocacy on behalf of more than 100,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. Her work contributed to major policy achievements and increased access to needed support and services for those with IDD. In addition, Sharon’s experience includes leading State Budget campaigns that have secured critical funding increases. Mobilizing and harnessing the power of the grassroots, Sharon understands the importance of amplifying the voice of those with lived experience. Additionally, her impact and advocacy work was recognized with the Heroes Award (2016) from the New Jersey Statewide Self-Advocacy Network, and the Voice of Change Award (2025) from The Arc of Morris County. Sharon’s success stems from her ability to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with state and federal lawmakers, state agencies, and coalition partners. Prior to The Arc of New Jersey Sharon worked as a public information officer at the Department of Banking and Insurance, as a legislative director for a now-retired State Senator, and as a journalist for a local weekly newspaper in Monmouth County. It was through these roles that Sharon honed her communication skills and elevated priorities to decision-makers across the State.
CO-CHAIR
Meghan Tavormina
is the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children (NJAEYC), where she leads the organization's advocacy and public policy initiatives. She also serves as Co-Chair of Start Strong NJ, a statewide coalition advancing policies to strengthen New Jersey's child care system. In 2025, she was appointed Co-Chair of the Early Childhood Education Action Team for Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill's Transition Team. Meghan has dedicated her career to advancing high-quality early childhood education and public policies that support children, families, and educators. She is the founder of The Learning Path Early Education Center, a NAEYC-accredited and Grow NJ Kids Five-Star program, bringing firsthand experience as both an educator and provider to her policy work. She collaborates with providers, legislators, state agencies, business leaders, and community partners to develop sustainable solutions that improve access, affordability, and quality in early childhood education. Meghan holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Political Science from Rutgers University and a Postgraduate Certificate in Early Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Members & Partners
Philanthropic Supporters
Start Strong NJ is grateful for generous philanthropic support from these New Jersey foundations:
The Burke Foundation
Turrell Fund
The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Community Foundation of New Jersey
Maher Charitable Foundation
Schumann Fund for New Jersey
The Fund for New Jersey
Frequently Asked Questions
The Start Strong NJ campaign was launched statewide in September 2025 to make high-quality child care affordable for all New Jersey families, uniting advocates, business leaders, early childhood educators and funders. Child care is the largest expense for thousands of families with young children — often exceeding rent or mortgage. For many working parents, finding and paying for child care is a puzzle without a solution.
The lack of affordable care takes a huge economic toll, and not just for families: New Jersey loses $5 billion a year in decreased earnings, business productivity, and tax revenue. Start Strong NJ champions common sense policy solutions to give every child the strong start needed for lifelong health and well-being.
Start Strong NJ launched in September 2025 to tackle the rising costs and limited availability of child care in New Jersey.
Organizations and individuals can join the campaign by contacting Campaign Director Sharon Levine at Sharon@startstrongnj.org. Members receive regular policy alerts, participate in advocacy efforts, and share data to inform child care policy in New Jersey.
We encourage journalists and media outlets to contact us at press@startstrongnj.org for interview opportunities and information on how to make child care in New Jersey affordable.