The Association for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) is a statewide, non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to advancing children’s rights and improving programs and policies for New Jersey’s children and families. Our roots go back a century and a half to the founding of our parent organization, the Newark Orphan Asylum, in 1847. In 1978, the Child Service Association, a successor organization to the Asylum, joined with Citizens’ Committee for Children of New Jersey to become the Association for Children of New Jersey. ACNJ has its principal place of business at 35 Halsey Street, Newark.
Administered by a thirty member volunteer Board of Trustees, ACNJ conducts its advocacy efforts through public policy analysis and monitoring, research, community outreach, and education. Its Board of Trustees, sponsors, and professional staff represent a broad cross-section of individuals and organizations strongly committed to the rights and welfare of children.
The broad-based nature of ACNJ’s activities is reflected in the range of issues it undertakes. ACNJ has directed its advocacy efforts to all areas that impact the lives of New Jersey’s children and families: child welfare, foster care, education, adoption, juvenile justice, health, housing, and child care. An underlying theme of all these issues is to advocate for those children who are at particular risk of harm.
ACNJ seeks to improve the welfare of New Jersey’s children by bringing their needs to the attention of officials at the highest levels of state and federal governments. Today we are one of the most successful associations of our kind in the country. A cornerstone of ACNJ’s success has been –and remains- its independence. The association accepts no government funding for advocacy, freeing us to focus on our sole mission – helping the children of New Jersey.
ACNJ created its Children’s Legal Resource Center in December 1993 to provide training and information on children and the law. The Education Rights Program is a component of the Center. ACNJ attorneys and staff handle over 500 cases/advocacy calls annually, providing information to individuals inquiring about a specific child’s rights. The primary areas of inquiry are education, DYFS related matters, and custody/visitation issues. An expanding role lies in our specialized training efforts. Through the Children’s Legal Resource Center, ACNJ staff continues to provide training to service providers, educators, attorneys, parents, court staff and volunteers, and judges on issues related to children.
