State Awards $5M To Add Another 103 Seats At Wayne Preschool Center

WAYNE, NJ — The Wayne Township Public School District will score $5 million in federal funding to expand its preschool program at the Preakness Early Childhood Center, officials say.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy and acting education commissioner Kevin Dehmer announced the award of more than $42 million in federal grant funding to build and expand preschool facilities in 22 New Jersey school districts.

Wayne Township was the only Passaic County district to get funding in this round of Universal Preschool Facilities Expansion Grants. The district will receive $5,014,070 to help cover an estimated $12,535,176 for two projects at Preakness ECC. These projects will add 103 pre-K seats for students.

Officials noted that this facilities funding is one of several ways that the state is trying to meet its goal of providing “universal preschool.”

“High-quality preschool can positively impact the trajectory of a child’s life, which is why we have made it our mission to expand access to these critical programs,” Murphy said.