State Education Commissioner Lily Laux to keynote Sweeney Center conference on “Expanding Child Care and Preschool Education in New Jersey”
State Education Commissioner Lily Laux to keynote Sweeney Center conference on “Expanding Child Care and Preschool Education in New Jersey”
September 9, 2026
Lily Laux, Ph.D., commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, and Evan Delgado, the Turrell Fund's president for programs and planning, are the keynote speakers for the Sweeney Center for Public Policy’s conference on New Jersey childcare policy issues, ranging from early childhood education to support for the childcare workforce to paid family and medical leave.
"Child care is the workforce behind the workforce—when families can't access affordable, reliable care, the ripple effects touch employers, schools and the State's entire economy," said Elaine Zundl, assistant teaching professor of political science and coordinator of the Master of Public Policy program at Rowan University. "This conference brings together the researchers, agency leaders and advocates who are working on every piece of this puzzle, from pre-K expansion to workforce support, so we can have an honest conversation about what it will actually take to build a system that works for New Jersey families.”
Held on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the conference will take place in Rowan's Eynon Ballroom in the Chamberlain Student Center. Attendance is free, and breakfast and lunch are included. To register for the conference, click here.
Laux is delivering the luncheon keynote and Delgado is giving the opening keynote address. Conference speakers include:
- W. Steven Barnett, Ph.D., National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Rutgers University;
- Brian Ross, Esq., Assistant Commissioner, Policy, Oversight, and Regulatory Affairs, New Jersey Department of Children and Families;
- Katrina T. McCombs, Assistant Commissioner of Education, Division of Early Childhood Services, New Jersey Department of Education;
- Steve Sweeney, Gloucester County Administrator and former New Jersey Senate President;
- Andrea J. Breitwieser, Assistant Director, Division of Family Development, NJ Department of Human Services;
- Tonya Coston, Ed.D., Manager, Division of Workforce, NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development;
- Joan Dillon, Executive Director, Glassboro Child Development Centers;
- Bonnie Eggenburg, President Region II Head Start Association, Vice President of Gateway Community Action Partnerships;
- Zeynep I. Ercan, Ph.D., Professor of Early Childhood Education and Co-Director, Early Childhood Leadership Institute (ECLI), Rowan University;
- Jen Cortes, Assistant Director, Early Childhood Leadership Institute, Rowan University;
- Althea Ford, Vice President of Government Affairs, New Jersey Business and Industry Association;
- Liana Kallman, Organizer, New Jersey Communities United;
- Sharon Levine, Campaign Director, NJ Start Strong;
- Liana Lin, Research Project Manager, Bloustein Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University;
- Becky Logue-Conroy, Ph.D., Research Analyst, Center for Women and Work, Rutgers University;
- Milagros Nores, Ph.D., National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Rutgers University;
- Mayra Rodriguez, Family Care Provider, New Jersey Communities United;
- Christina Stephens, Ph.D., National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Rutgers University;
- Meghan Tavormina, Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, at New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children.
Rowan University President Ali Houshmand, Ph.D., and Ric Edelman College of Communication, Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Nawal Ammar, Ph.D., will deliver introductory remarks. Gaetane Jean-Marie, dean of the Rowan University College of Education; Deb Lancaster, executive director of the Center for Women and Work, Rutgers University; Mark Magyar, director of the Sweeney Center for Public Policy; Yarrow Willman-Cole, workplace justice coordinator for NJ Citizen Action; and Zundl will serve as moderators.
"New Jersey has a robust history of leadership in childcare policy, promoting quality early childhood education, leading the way on paid family and medical leave, and funding the childcare workforce," said Magyar. "Investments by the new Sherrill administration, along with initiatives by the Mamdani administration in New York City, signal a renewed focus on rebuilding a childcare system that never bounced back after the COVID-19 pandemic. New Jersey also just passed legislation expanding its paid leave policy to cover more workers, making this an opportune time for a major Rowan policy conference addressing these issues."
For press inquiries or further information on the conference, please contact Mark Magyar at magyarm@rowan.edu.