County Gets $2 Million in NJ Preschool Expansion Aid of $20.6M

TRENTON – Gov.Phil Murphy announced Sept. 18 the first round of new Preschool Education Expansion Aid (PEEA) of $20.6 million to 31 eligible districts, which will enhance and expand preschool education programs for more than 2,000 3 and 4-year-old children across the state.
In Cape May County, North Wildwood and Lower Township districts received aid. North Wildwood got $327,078 while Lower Township got $1.77 million.
According to a release, a critical part of creating a stronger and fairer New Jersey, this expansion was made possible due to the governor’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget, which included $50 million for PEEA and an additional $33 million in Preschool Education Aid.
This is the largest increase in pre-K funding in over a decade. The distribution of preschool expansion aid will be divided into two rounds, with New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) expected to award the second round of PEEA in early October.
“By investing in early childhood education, we are making a long-term investment in the next generation,” stated Murphy. “Every child deserves the opportunity to have access to quality pre-K programs and this funding will provide our children with the tools and support they need to reach their greatest potential. “
“Providing our youngest learners with high-quality early education will have long-lasting benefits for children, and for communities as a whole,” stated Education Commissioner Lamont O. Repollet. “We’ve learned that an investment in preschool – or, more accurately, an investment in high-quality preschool – has the potential to help children succeed in school, and later in life, by providing them with the academic and social skills needed for school readiness.”
“We know that high-quality pre-K programs are the single best head start we can give to help children reach their fullest academic potential,” said Senate President Stephen Sweeney. “New Jersey’s programs have gained national attention and respect. The continued expansion is a reflection of our continued commitment to providing early childhood education to more young students in more communities across the state.”
“The benefits of a preschool education are significant and they are benefits all children should have access to. That is why we made sure that the state budget included the funds needed to for the expansion of preschool in the state,” stated Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. “We recognize the importance of building a solid foundation that sets up students for academic success. This is an investment on the future of our students that will pay dividends for New Jersey.”
PEEA funding is distributed based on the numbers of low-income students in the district. The funding will support existing preschool programs to provide high-quality programming by extending the hours, decreasing class size, and adding additional children.
The districts will improve seats for 1,218 preschool children and will open new seats for 882 new preschool children.
Research over the past several decades has consistently shown that children who attend high-quality early childhood education programs are less likely to be placed in special education, less likely to be retained in a grade, and more likely to graduate from high school than peers who didn’t attend such programs.
For the first round of PEEA, NJDOE targeted districts that have previously received partial state aid and could implement expansion plans by October 2018.
The second round of funding will target districts with a Free and Reduced Lunch percentage above 20 percent that have not previously received any state preschool aid. NJDOE received 31 applications from 117 eligible school districts and is currently reviewing those applications.
The total request for round two funding is over $26.7 million. This level of funding would allow up to 239 half-day children and 2,000 full-day children to be served for the first time with state preschool aid.