Assemblyman Avi Schnall (D-30) has introduced new legislation aimed at preventing the devastating tragedies that occur when parents accidentally leave their young children in vehicles, leading to severe injury or death from heatstroke. The bill would require child care centers to notify parents or guardians if their child does not arrive as expected, a critical safeguard to help avoid these heartbreaking incidents.

The legislation mandates that all licensed child care centers in New Jersey establish a notification procedure as a condition for securing or renewing their operating license. Under this law, if a child does not arrive at the center and no prior notice has been given for the absence, the child care center must contact the parent or guardian to determine the reason for the child’s absence.

“This is about saving lives,” said Assemblyman Schnall. “We’ve seen too many tragic cases where a child is forgotten in the backseat of a car, especially during the busy morning routine. This legislation ensures that if a child doesn’t arrive at daycare, parents will be notified immediately. That phone call could be the difference between life and death.”

The bill empowers the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to enforce the law by requiring notification procedures as part of the licensing process for child care centers. It also grants the DCF the authority to deny, revoke, or refuse to renew the license of any center that fails to comply.

“Even one child’s life lost in this manner is too many. With this legislation, we are taking a proactive step to ensure that parents receive that critical reminder if something goes wrong during their day. It’s a simple measure, but one that could prevent an unspeakable tragedy,” Schnall added.