Phil Murphy
General Business

New Proposals to Expand Early Childhood Education Access

Today Gov. Phil Murphy visited Maurice Hawk Elementary School in West Windsor to underscore his continued commitment to furthering access to free, high-quality preschool and kindergarten programs, enabling young learners in communities across New Jersey to start their educational careers on strong footing. Senator Shirley Turner and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli also joined the announcement.

“One week ago, during my State of the State Address, I announced that our administration will be taking a new step to ensure that every school district in New Jersey offers free, full-day kindergarten. Paired with a second initiative to codify preschool funding, we are paving the way for both universal pre-k and free full-day kindergarten in our state,” said Murphy. “By working with our partners in the State Legislature, including Majority Leader Ruiz and Assembly Members Katz and Stanley, we are going to strengthen early childhood education, alleviate the burden of childcare costs on parents, and ensure all children in New Jersey benefit from the same strong start when it comes to their education. We owe it to the children and families that call New Jersey ‘home’ to continue building a public education system that lifts up every single one of our state’s children – no matter their zip code or their family’s socioeconomic status.”

“We support an intentional roll out of Pre-K expansion, early childhood education opportunities, and workforce development that prioritizes the engagement and utilization of our existing infrastructure of licensed childcare providers and facilities,” said Althea D. Ford, vice president, government affairs, NJBIA. “These job creators are integral to ensuring early childhood education is available beyond traditional school hours so that working parents can literally show up for work, contributing their time, talent and skills to bolster our state economy and local communities.”

The Governor’s Office is coordinating with legislative partners, including Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, Assemblywoman Andrea Katz, and Assemblyman Sterley Stanley, on legislation to advance the following initiatives:

  • Codify Preschool Funding: Preschool Education Aid is currently distributed through budget language. By enacting separate legislation, we are making the program more reliable for the future;
  • Require access to full-day kindergarten: All five-year-old students will be ensured access to free, full-day kindergarten;
  • Strengthen Mixed Delivery: The Department of Education will develop a mixed delivery handbook to clarify and standardize the process of forming agreements between school districts and private providers;
  • Create the Preschool Teacher Pipeline Investment Program: The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education would have to publish guidance on dual admission programs for Early Childhood Education studies. The Departments of Human Services and Children and Families would have to publish joint guidance for childcare centers to implement graduated salary scales for private teachers working towards preschool certification.

These initiatives are informed by Phase II of the Strategic Plan for Preschool Expansion, which is also being released today. This document includes feedback from an intensive stakeholder engagement process over 74 sessions across all counties, representing 36 organizations and an additional 485 staff from school districts and private providers across the state. In addition to the above four goals, the strategic plan’s recommendations include: better aligning childcare and public preschool facilities requirements; evaluating public-private partnership opportunities to provide dedicated facilities funding; and improving transportation options for preschoolers.

Over the past seven years, funding for public preschool has increased by over $550 million, with New Jersey currently spending $1.2 billion to stand up and sustain programs in communities across the state. Since year one of the Murphy Administration, 229 additional districts have been added to State-funded preschool programs; meaning now, 293 or about half of New Jersey’s elementary-serving school districts offer free, high-quality preschool, whether that is in partnership with childcare providers or in elementary schools.

To access more business news, visit NJB News Now.

Related Articles: