For Immediate Release

August 10, 2010

ACNJ is Now Advocates for Children of New Jersey

The Association for Children of New Jersey has changed its name to Advocates for Children of New Jersey to better reflect the organization’s work to help children, ACNJ Executive Director Cecilia Zalkind announced today.

“Here at ACNJ, we continually examine the way we go about achieving our vision of giving every child the chance to grow up safe, healthy and educated,” Zalkind said. “This means not only examining what we do, but how we do it.”

Over the years, ACNJ’s efforts have evolved from a small group of people focused on one issue – child protection – to an organization that galvanizes thousands to advocate directly on behalf of New Jersey’s children on many issues and on many fronts.

“And so we have changed our name to better capture the essence of our work,” Zalkind  said. “Advocates for Children reflects the power that comes from engaging our many partners in our efforts to put New Jersey children first.

We are no longer an association working on behalf of children, but a network of effective advocates, working together as partners to secure our children’s future.  ”

The non-profit, non-partisan organization also unveiled a new website, www.acnj.org, that provides frequent updates about emergent issues facing New Jersey’s children and families, data on the well-being of children and information about child health and children’s legal rights.

ACNJ will continue to advocate on many fronts – local, state and national – engaging a network of 5,000 supporters who regularly send messages to policymakers and elected officials. The organization provides free child advocacy courses throughout the year, expanding the network of people speaking up for New Jersey’s children.

In addition, ACNJ educates caregivers about their children’s legal rights through our KidLaw center, www.kidlaw.org, and educates the public and policymakers through many projects, including New Jersey KIDS COUNT, which uses data to track child well-being.

Zalkind noted that the coming year will likely bring challenges, as families continue to struggle to make ends meet and budget cuts mean less help is available to these families.

“By all measures, next year will be even more challenging for children and families,” Zalkind  said. “It is more important than ever for us to work together to be the change we want to see in the world.”

For more information, visit www.acnj.org