Preschool The Official Web Site For The State Of New Jersey

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preschool the official web site for the state of new jersey

Preschool Disabilities and Early Intervention Preschool Budget and Operational Plan System New! 2026-2027 Preschool Expansion Notice of Funding Opportunity (PDF) New! 2026-2027 Preschool Expansion Notice of Funding Opportunity (Word)

New! 2026-2027 District Budget Planning Workbook Instructions - To obtain a digital accessible copy please contact DOEpreschoolexpansion@doe.nj.gov For more information on Grow NJ Kids, select from the links below: Research shows that children who are in quality child care and early learning programs when they are young are better prepared for kindergarten with better reading skills, more math skills and larger vocabularies. Grow NJ Kids, New Jersey’s Quality Rating Improvement System, is New Jersey’s program to raise the quality of child care and early learning across the state. Grow NJ Kids gives child care and early learning programs resources to assess and improve their programs, while providing parents with information that allows them to evaluate the quality of programs and make the...

The goal is to create a system that encourages ongoing improvement. To create a standard way to look at child care and early learning, Grow NJ Kids provides families with an objective rating system. Based on the findings of a preliminary assessment that the child care and early learning program does on itself, trained professionals work with the program staff to address areas needing improvement. Then, a trained rater, using a comprehensive, research-based tool, formally assesses the program. A high-quality program can earn between three and five stars, giving parents an easy way to make an educated decision about what is best for their child. All types of programs can participate in Grow NJ Kids – a child care center, a school- or center-based preschool program, a Head Start program, as well as a registered family child care provider,...

You can learn more about available child care options on our Types of Care page. To find a participating program near you, check out our child care search. Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, to expand access to free preschool and full-day kindergarten in New Jersey. (Photo courtesy of Murphy administration) Gov.

Phil Murphy signed legislation this week that will expand free preschool in New Jersey, as well as full-day kindergarten to the few remaining districts that don’t yet offer it by 2030. Early childhood education has been a Murphy priority, with his administration adding 20,000 new free preschool seats in 229 districts since he took office in 2018. Still, almost half of New Jersey’s school districts don’t have public preschool and 10 don’t have all-day kindergarten. Legislation Murphy signed Wednesday mandates full-day kindergarten in all districts by 2030. It also codifies the state’s preschool funding formula into statute and requires the state Department of Education to provide annual preschool expansion grants. It establishes a three-year preschool cost-sharing pilot program, creates a committee to guide preschool expansion, and requires state agencies to post preschool information on their websites and annually report on expansion efforts and preschool...

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) recently released the Preschool Education Aid (PEA) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the 2026-2027 school year. This opportunity is open to any LEA in New Jersey that is not currently receiving preschool education aid and offers full-day kindergarten. Non-operating LEAs are eligible to apply in collaboration with an LEA that provides an educational program to their kindergarten students. Please note that award terms and amounts are subject to change pending enactment of the FY2027 Appropriations Act. In advance of the FY2027 Appropriations Act, and consistent with P.L.2025, c.100, this NFO is being released as an anticipatory step necessary to align the timing of these expansion grant awards with the timing... Note: Applicants must demonstrate due diligence in establishing partnerships to provide their preschool program via a mixed-delivery system with licensed childcare providers and Head Start programs in their community or neighboring communities that are...

To apply, LEAs must attend a mandatory technical assistance session. Two in-person sessions will be offered on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. OR from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

at 100 Riverview Plaza, Conference Room 1 (CR1), in Trenton, NJ 08360. It is recommended that LEAs identify a team of administrators to participate in the technical assistance workshop. LEAs must have at least one staff member or consultant to be eligible to apply. If LEAs plan to apply collaboratively, a staff member or consultant from each LEA must attend. Please register here to attend the 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

session, or register here to attend the 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. session. LEAs are only required to attend one of the two sessions and must stay for the duration of the presentation. The sessions are identical, so there is no need to attend both. The registration deadline is 12 p.m.

on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. Completed applications are due by 12 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, via Homeroom. NJDOE will not accept a late proposal.

The responsibility for a timely submission resides with the applicant. The applicant LEA will not be eligible for an award if the proposal is incomplete or received after the due date. For more than 20 years, New Jersey has been a national leader in providing high-quality preschool with an initial focus on low-income 3- and 4-year-olds, but more recently to additional children living in eligible... This is money well spent as research shows that children who attend quality preschool are more likely to succeed in school and in life. A 2021 study by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) found that by 10th grade, students who attended preschool in the original 31 state-funded programs continue to thrive, particularly in math and... Grade retention was also reduced by 15% and special education was reduced by 7%.

While more of New Jersey’s preschoolers currently have access to our state’s high-quality program, others living in eligible districts are missing out on this opportunity. That is why it’s important for school administrators and school boards to understand the benefits of state-funded preschool and child care providers and parents to know how to advocate to bring preschool to their... Welcome! Thank you for visiting the Division of Early Childhood Services (DECS) website. High quality early education can improve outcomes, narrow achievement gaps, and convey long-term benefits for children in school and life. It is our desire to provide you with useful and timely information that will enhance your knowledge about the early learning programs and initiatives at the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE).

Vision: Lead and build New Jersey’s early education programs to provide all young children with equitable, research-based opportunities for learning and a developmentally appropriate education. The Division of Early Childhood Services is committed to enhancing the social-emotional, physical and cognitive development of New Jersey's children from birth through third grade by supporting the implementation of comprehensive services that address... Teacher Resources for Remote Instruction Learning Equity and Academic Recovery (LEAR)

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Preschool Disabilities And Early Intervention Preschool Budget And Operational Plan

Preschool Disabilities and Early Intervention Preschool Budget and Operational Plan System New! 2026-2027 Preschool Expansion Notice of Funding Opportunity (PDF) New! 2026-2027 Preschool Expansion Notice of Funding Opportunity (Word)

New! 2026-2027 District Budget Planning Workbook Instructions - To Obtain

New! 2026-2027 District Budget Planning Workbook Instructions - To obtain a digital accessible copy please contact DOEpreschoolexpansion@doe.nj.gov For more information on Grow NJ Kids, select from the links below: Research shows that children who are in quality child care and early learning programs when they are young are better prepared for kindergarten with better reading skills, more math ski...

The Goal Is To Create A System That Encourages Ongoing

The goal is to create a system that encourages ongoing improvement. To create a standard way to look at child care and early learning, Grow NJ Kids provides families with an objective rating system. Based on the findings of a preliminary assessment that the child care and early learning program does on itself, trained professionals work with the program staff to address areas needing improvement. ...

You Can Learn More About Available Child Care Options On

You can learn more about available child care options on our Types of Care page. To find a participating program near you, check out our child care search. Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, to expand access to free preschool and full-day kindergarten in New Jersey. (Photo courtesy of Murphy administration) Gov.

Phil Murphy Signed Legislation This Week That Will Expand Free

Phil Murphy signed legislation this week that will expand free preschool in New Jersey, as well as full-day kindergarten to the few remaining districts that don’t yet offer it by 2030. Early childhood education has been a Murphy priority, with his administration adding 20,000 new free preschool seats in 229 districts since he took office in 2018. Still, almost half of New Jersey’s school districts...