New Jersey is on track to provide free, universal preschool and full-day kindergarten a reality for all.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed three bills on July 9 to bolster early-childhood education in the state, building on a multi-year, administration-wide effort to expand access.
“Expanding access to high-quality, early-childhood education has been the cornerstone of my administration’s approach to setting our children on a path to lifelong success,” Murphy said.
Over the past seven years, funding for public preschool has increased by nearly $600 million, with the state now spending $1.2 billion to build and sustain programs in communities across the state. Since year one of the administration in 2018, 229 districts have been added to state-funded preschool programs, meaning now, more than half of New Jersey’s elementary-serving school districts offer free, high-quality preschool, whether through partnerships with child care providers or in elementary schools, according to a press release through the governor’s office.
The first bill signed by Murphy codifies the state’s preschool funding formula into statute. It also modifies various statutes governing early-childhood education to help build and sustain universal access to preschool programs.
This includes, but is not limited to:
- Requiring the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) to provide annual preschool expansion grants
- Codifying and revising the requirements for preschool education aid
- Establishing a three-year Preschool Cost-Sharing Pilot Program
- Establishing a Universal Preschool Implementation Steering Committee composed of representatives of various state agencies and the New Jersey Legislature
- Requiring the DOE, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the Department of Human Services (DHS) to maintain and annually update certain information regarding preschool and child-care providers on their respective websites
- Requiring the DOE, the DCF and the DHS to annually submit a report to the legislature on the status of preschool education in the state and the efficacy of the mixed-delivery method of preschool education
- Requiring state agencies to publish guidance on a variety of topics related to expanding preschool education in areas of greatest need.
The bill also sets the state firmly on course to provide free, full-day kindergarten for all New Jersey families by 2030 by requiring each elementary-serving school district in the state to establish a free, full-day kindergarten program no later than the beginning of the 2029-2030 school year. Districts that don’t meet that deadline can satisfy the requirement by entering into a send-receive relationship with an adjacent district.
The second bill permits the awarding of contracts for certain preschool-education services by resolution of a board of education and extends the maximum contract length for preschools to three years. The third bill amends the Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Act to revise various language provisions concerning preschool aid to align that language with legislation that modifies an aid allocation.
“By prioritizing access for low-income students, fostering collaboration with community partners and ensuring all students have access to full-day kindergarten, these bills codify the administration’s longstanding efforts to expand preschool access and strengthen our state’s commitment to early childhood education,” said Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer.
“This step marks an important milestone in advancing New Jersey’s dedication to families and the long-term success of our youngest learners.”