10-17-2024 12:06pm

ICYMI: Governor Murphy and Acting Commissioner Dehmer Award $20 Million to Expand High-Quality Preschool in 18 School Districts

Donnella Tilery Editor

TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Department of Education Acting Commissioner Kevin Dehmer today announced that 18 school districts have received Fiscal Year 2025 preschool expansion funds to establish or expand access to high-quality preschool programs in the 2024-2025 school year.

The nearly $20 million, which was included in the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget, is estimated to provide more than 1,200 additional children the opportunity to attend a high-quality preschool program. State-funded, high-quality preschool programs now exist in 293 New Jersey school districts – 229 of which have been established during the Murphy Administration.

“Our investment in early childhood provides the youngest learners with a solid foundation for success,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Today’s announcement builds on my ongoing commitment to expand early childhood education to more communities, with the long-term goal of ensuring every 3- and 4-year-old in the State has access to a high-quality preschool program.”

“The rapid expansion of preschool programs throughout New Jersey has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Kevin Dehmer, Acting Commissioner of Education. “Governor Murphy’s continued support means that, with the addition of the programs that are being announced today, we are now providing nearly 77,000 children in New Jersey with a state funded high-quality preschool program, each and every year. That’s a huge number of young lives whose futures will be broadened by our state’s efforts.”

School districts receiving an award demonstrated they can provide a high-quality preschool program to enrolled students. A high-quality preschool is defined as a full-day program with a certificated teacher, an aide, a curriculum aligned with the New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards, and small classes that are inclusive of children with special needs who have an individualized education plan. Awarded districts will open programs by winter.

The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget appropriated $20 million to support awards to districts expanding existing preschool programs or districts creating new preschool programs.

The following is a list of the 18 school districts receiving preschool expansion funds for 2024-2025:

County	District	Amount
Bergen	East Rutherford	$595,612
Bergen	Lodi*	$1,403,872
Burlington	Bordentown	$1,305,345
Burlington	Chesterfield	$1,116,753
Burlington	Evesham	$3,220,662
Burlington	Riverton	$368,568
Burlington	Southampton	$552,852
Camden	Berlin Borough	$1,660,179
Camden	Brooklawn*	$278,186
Gloucester	East Greenwich	$847,336
Middlesex	Middlesex Borough	$632,076
Monmouth	Upper Freehold Regional	$1,037,725
Ocean	Point Pleasant Borough	$558,404
Sussex	Hampton	$554,256
Sussex	Lopatcong	$1,021,845
Sussex	Sandyston-Walpack	$169,356
Sussex	Vernon	$2,815,296
Sussex	Clark	$1,860,188
Total		$19,998,511

*Denotes districts that previously operated preschool programs via state Early Childhood Program Aid (ECPA) and the Early Launch to Learning Initiative (ELLI) funding. The 2024-2025 state preschool aid will allow them to expand to a high-quality preschool program.