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Bill

S 4778

Establishes a tax on digital ads

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Gianaris and 3 co-sponsors

Expands family day care capacity to up to 10 children while adding health/safety and staffing requirements for providers serving more than five.

REFERRED TO BUDGET AND REVENUE
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Bill Summary · S 4778

Summary — S4778 (Introduced Oct. 27, 2025)

Note: the supplied header labeled this bill “Establishes a tax on digital ads,” but the actual bill text and citations show this is a New Jersey bill concerning family day care provider registration and capacity. This summary describes the family day care provisions contained in the introduced version of S4778.

Purpose / Intent

S4778 amends existing New Jersey child care law (P.L.1983, c.492 and P.L.1987, c.27) to increase the maximum number of children that may be cared for in a registered family day care home and to update related registration, training, and oversight provisions. The stated intent is to expand access to licensed/registered family child care by allowing providers to serve more children while preserving health and safety standards.

Key provisions

  • Expands the definition/exemption in the Child Care Center Licensing Act so that a “family day care home” registered under the Family Day Care Provider Registration Act is exempt from the “child care center” definition when it provides care for up to 10 children (previously capped at 5).
  • Amends the Family Day Care Provider Registration Act definition of “family day care home” to permit care for between 3 and 10 children at any one time (previously no more than 5). Family homes with fewer than three children may still be voluntarily registered.
  • Requires family day care homes that provide care for more than five children to meet all applicable health and safety code requirements in addition to registration requirements, and to have at least one additional person present who has completed the training required under current law.
  • Clarifies that children legally related to the provider, and care provided under certain unpaid employment agreements with assistants or substitutes, are not counted toward the capacity total.
  • Revises registration/renewal administrative details (the introduced text shows the registration fee set at $25 to the sponsoring organization and certificate renewal every three years).
  • Maintains existing evaluation and preservice training requirements for providers; sponsoring organizations must evaluate applicants (including at least one home visit) before issuing a certificate of registration.

Who is affected

  • Family day care providers: may serve up to 10 children but must comply with added health/safety and staffing/training requirements when serving more than five.
  • Parents/families: potential increase in available family-based child care slots.
  • Department of Children and Families and contracted family day care sponsoring organizations: increased oversight, registration, evaluation, and training responsibilities.
  • Local child care system: potential effect on capacity, licensing patterns, and monitoring needs.

Procedural status and related measures

  • Introduced in the Senate on October 27, 2025 (S. Shirley K. Turner and A. Zwicker sponsor).
  • Referred to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (per text) and also listed as referred to Budget and Revenue in docket actions provided.
  • Companion/related bills noted: A2910, A7805 (companions), and several prior-session bills (S8056, S5551, S1124).
  • Text in the packet is truncated in places; final bill may add detailed operational or fiscal language.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Likely to modestly increase child care capacity in home-based settings, which can help families seeking care and relieve center demand.
  • Providers serving 6–10 children face stronger compliance obligations (health & safety codes, extra trained staff present) — which could raise costs or administrative burden.
  • State oversight workload may increase (monitoring, inspections, training delivery); fiscal impact not specified in the introduced text.
  • Exact operational impacts (staffing ratios, specific training hours, background checks, insurance) should be confirmed in the full bill text and any fiscal note.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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