On November 14, well over a hundred New Jersey school districts faced one of the first deadlines in the State’s preschool expansion program. These high poverty districts, required to provide "universal" preschool, submitted five-year plans for program implementation, as well as plans for serving some 3- and 4-year-olds during the 2009-10 school year.

The weeks leading up to the November 14 deadline were eventful. The Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Public Schools held a hearing about preschool expansion on October 14 at the Glenn Cunningham Early Childhood Center in Jersey City. The state-of-the-art facility was built with Abbott school construction funding.

A number of preschool advocates provided testimony to the committee, including Cynthia Rice on behalf of the Association for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ), and Ellen Boylan, a senior attorney at Education Law Center (ELC). Boylan told committee members that districts would find it difficult to meet the need for new preschool seats without additional funding for facilities. (Read more about Boylan’s testimony and view tables prepared by ELC showing unmet preschool need here.) .

Shortly after the Joint Committee hearing, Governor Corzine publicly questioned whether the money needed to implement the preschool expansion program would be available in the upcoming State budget. Speaking to an editorial board at The Record and at the annual convention of the New Jersey School Boards Association, the governor noted that the preschool expansion plan could be delayed due to the worsening economic situation and resulting budget cuts.

The governor’s remarks were particularly striking since expansion of the highly successful Abbott preschool program to all at-risk children in the State was a centerpiece of the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 (SFRA). With data demonstrating educational and developmental gains experienced by urban school children who attended Abbott preschools, the rationale for expanding the program seemed clear. Delaying its implementation seems shortsighted at best.

Preschool advocates have taken note of the governor’s comments. Education Law Center has circulated a news release on the possible delay, and ACNJ has begun a letter-writing campaign, asking parents to sign and send letters to the governor. The letters prepared by ACNJ urge the governor to remain committed to preschool expansion, stating that, "The long-term benefits of this program will extend far beyond the children who are served. This program remains an investment in our state’s future."

Prepared: November 20, 2008