Schools
South Brunswick's Preschool Program Is Facing A Classroom Size Challenge
The proposed expansion of the preschool program could be in jeopardy due to the state-mandated classroom size requirements.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — The South Brunswick school district is currently facing challenges in expanding its preschool program due to state-mandated classroom size requirements which limit the available space.
Despite submitting a request to grow the program, the district is constrained by the lack of 950 square foot rooms, especially with 2,500 new homes expected to increase enrollment.
District Superintendent Scott Feder gave the community an update during the last Board of Education meeting. With the district running out of 950-square-foot rooms, the growth of the preschool program will have to stop, Feder said.
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New Jersey has a restriction on the size of a room it allows to be used for preschool. A 600-square-foot room would be fine for 40 12th graders, but for 15 preschoolers, the classroom has to be 950 square feet.
Currently, the district serves over 400 preschoolers, with plans to reach 500 next year. Additionally, there is a waiting list of 150 students.
Find out what's happening in South Brunswickfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“We no longer have any more space inside our school buildings. There's no more space with 2,500 new homes being built. The only way this goes is down, not up, as those students come to the district and fill the seats, they will knock out preschool seats unless we can find other preschool seats. So that could be years away,” Feder said.
Assistant Superintendent Suzanne Luck-Born and Megan Plummer, the Principal of Dean Crossing and Daytons have been scouting existing preschools in the community. However, they found that there might not be any more classrooms that size, unless they do construction on their spaces, Feder said.
“We are still looking to expand, we have submitted our paperwork, and we've submitted the honest size of the classrooms that are available to us, and we're going to see what the state wants to do,” Feder said. “We're prepared to challenge that issue with the state, but you know, I'm not sure how that's going to go.”
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