Preschool projects in New Jersey received $42 million in grants

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The Murphy administration announced Dec. 4 that more than $42 million will be allocated to build and expand preschool facilities in 22 Garden State school districts.

The federal grants come through the second round of the Universal Preschool Facilities Expansion Grant program, part of the COVID-era American Rescue Plan. More than $74 million in funding was awarded in the first round.

The awards are based on four priorities:

• Proposals to increase available preschool seating by at least 10%, ranked by percentage of increased seating
• Proposals to improve preschool facilities by increasing the capacity of existing classrooms or by building/renovating toilets
• Proposals to expand preschool programs from half-day to full-day programs
• Proposals to expand classroom capacity to accommodate new preschool programs and guarantee additional seating

“A high-quality preschool can have a positive impact on a child’s life course. That’s why we’re committed to expanding access to these important programs,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “These grants to support preschool construction and expansion projects represent an investment in our children’s future and will help us move closer to our goal of achieving universal preschool in New Jersey.”

In a press release, Acting Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer noted that families and educators across the state are eager to establish new, high-quality preschool programs in their communities.

“However, we have also heard from many school leaders that the biggest obstacle they face is the lack of adequate facilities to accommodate these programs,” Dehmer said. “This initiative represents a significant step toward universal access to quality preschool by making resources widely available to assist school districts in building, expanding or renovating school facilities specifically for preschool children.”

The full list of awards can be found here.

See Also:

In October, Gov. Phil Murphy noted that his administration had “officially invested more than $1 billion to improve access to quality, affordable child care across New Jersey.” Read the story here >>