Publications

As part of our ongoing evaluation of the certificate program offering advanced training to professionals addressing interpersonal violence within families, our team has entered the next phase of this mixed-methods project—qualitative data analysis. Rutgers University’s Center for Research on Ending Violence developed the program in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families […]

As New Jersey prepares to elect our next governor tomorrow, November 4th, the months ahead offer a pivotal opportunity to chart a path toward a more innovative and resilient state. To help inform this transition, the New Jersey State Policy Lab invited affiliated faculty and staff to identify the most pressing priorities for the next […]

Over the past 10 years, many U.S. states have implemented mandatory paid family leave policies to help address the lack of such policy on the national level. In this post, we examine how paid family leave enrollment among parents in the U.S. has changed. We use data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation […]

As part of our ongoing evaluation of the certificate program developed by Rutgers University’s Center for Research on Ending Violence in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF), we are excited to share recent progress. Over the past several weeks, our research team has conducted a series of in-depth interviews with […]

Paid family leave is an essential social policy that provides families with economic security while bonding with a new child. The United States has no federal policy on paid leave, providing only certain eligible employees up to 12 weeks unpaid, job-protected leave for family and medical reasons. For many workers, unpaid leave is a financially untenable […]

Breast cancer is widely known as a disease that affects thousands of women within the United States and is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in New Jersey (Department of Health, 2020). Current research discovered that it disproportionately affects Black women, making them 40% more likely to die to due to breast […]

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its 36th Kids Count Data Book, providing updated insights into the well-being of children in New Jersey and across the nation[1]. The report assesses child well-being in all 50 states using 16 key indicators organized into four categories: Economic Well-being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. New Jersey […]

The research team is pleased to share some updates on the status of our ongoing evaluation of the enhanced child welfare certificate program. This certificate program—developed through a collaboration between Rutgers University’s Center for Research on Ending Violence and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF)—aims to strengthen the state’s child welfare response […]

A growing body of scientific evidence supports paid family leave policies for new parents: studies have demonstrated benefits to public health (increased breastfeeding, on-time vaccinations, decreased infant hospitalizations, and improved child/parent bonding), socioeconomic wellbeing of families (improved labor force participation, decreased poverty and use of public support programs, and increased ability to arrange childcare), and […]

Family violence and child abuse are deeply interconnected issues that can have lasting and severe consequences for children and families. In New Jersey, the state has taken significant steps to address these challenges through the Domestic Violence and Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) Policy. This policy provides child welfare professionals with essential guidance […]

As the New Jersey State Policy Lab (NJSPL) reaches its fourth anniversary, it is my honor to serve as the Executive Director, working with an incredible team of dedicated professionals to better understand and investigate policy issues impacting the state. The NJSPL was created as the result of a grant from the Office of the Secretary […]

Perinatal depression is a significant public health issue in New Jersey and in the United States, with wide disparities by race and socioeconomic status. Evidence shows that perinatal depression adversely affects a range of children’s health and developmental outcomes and is correlated with negative health outcomes for mothers, yet little is known about potential policy […]