Preschool Data
Abbott Preschool
In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court mandated full-day, high quality preschool programs for all three- and four-year-old children in Abbott school districts. ELC has carefully monitored State and district progress in meeting the Abbott program goal of universal enrollment of all children in the Abbott districts and the regulatory target of enrolling 90% of the eligible universe of children in each community. For more detailed information, see the ELC publication The Abbott Preschool Program: A 10-year Progress Report.
Non-Abbott Preschool
The State also provides funding for preschool programs in low-income districts that do not meet the eligibility criteria of an Abbott district through Early Childhood Program Aid (ECPA). ECPA programs are not required to meet many of the standards required of Abbott preschool.
Preschool Expansion
In 2008, the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) mandated the expansion of high-quality preschool to low-income children across the state. Under the SFRA, universal districts - those in District Factor Group A & B or CD with over 40% low-income students - are required to provide preschool to all three- and four-year-olds, while targeted districts are required to provide preschool to low-income children only. Approximately 30,000 students are eligible for preschool services under this plan. However, implementation of the program has been delayed by the State's budget difficulties. See the 2007-08 list of universal and targeted districts, including the estimated number of eligible students and unmet need.
The following interactive report presents preschool enrollment data for Abbott and non-Abbott districts from 1999-2000 to the present. Preschool enrollment is presented by provider type (in-district programs and private providers including Head Start), program length (full-/half-day) and student age.
