All 21 counties in New Jersey have established a County Council for Young Children (CCYC) to strengthen collaboration between parents, families, and local community stakeholders with health, early care and education, family support, and other service providers. Gateway operates CCYCs in Gloucester, Mercer and Salem Counties.
This shared leadership philosophy includes parents as active partners with service providers and community leaders helping to identify the needs, concerns, aspirations and successes of our collective efforts to positively impact the health, education and well-being of children from pregnancy/birth to age 8. CCYC participants work together using a Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework to develop mutually-established goals and recommend creative strategies/solutions that respect the views and priorities of diverse families in the community.
Each CCYC has a local lead agency and designated project coordinator who guides and supports the planning process, committee and workgroup structure, and implementation to address priorities and advocacy efforts. The CCYC works closely with the local Central Intake to provide input/feedback about the availability, responsiveness and effectiveness of the service array within the community; and makes recommendations to strengthen local program coordination and integration.
