Bellevilles Free Preschool Program Gets $892K Boost From NJ – Belleville, NJ Patch

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville’s free pre-kindergarten program just got a big boost from the New Jersey Department of Education.

On Tuesday, the NJDOE Preschool Education Aid program awarded Belleville $892,452. The funds will help to expand the district’s new Pre-K program, which offers free preschool for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds in the township.

Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz – who recently celebrated her own daughter’s first day of preschool – offered high praise for the round of state funding.

Ruiz, who represents Belleville and Newark, said she was proud that one of this year’s funding recipients is located in her home district.

“I’m energized and excited about the continued expansion of our state’s Pre-K program, particularly here in Essex County,” Ruiz said Tuesday. “Universal preschool has been a cornerstone of my legislative career, a point that rings particularly true today because it was my daughter’s first day of Pre-K.”

Ruiz said the funding came to Belleville after a joint effort between the Department of Education, school administrators and Mayor Michael Melham.

“This is the first step towards ensuring access to this fundamental education for the children of Belleville,” Ruiz said.

Melham touted the Belleville’s new Pre-K program during his State of the Township speech in May, saying that working-class families are often forced with making the difficult decision between staying at home with a child or paying for expensive pre-K education.

“If all goes our way, we will receive a grant from the state to pay for six pre-K classrooms, with the ability to service 90 children and their families,” Melham said.

According to Superintendent Richard Tomko, the funding was earned through a competitive grant process, and was based on a district’s ability to add or expand preschool programs and work with private local providers to increase enrollments.

Tomko offered Patch the following statement about the district’s achievement:

“I’m very proud of the hard work that our team put in this last year to expand our existing preschool programs. Working with our Board of Education members, Senator Ruiz, Commissioner [Lamont] Repollet and our mayor and council, we were able to open up several additional classrooms and move to a full-day preschool program. I have made a commitment to our community to continue to work to find additional space to create more classrooms and partner with our local providers over the next several years to deliver the board’s vision of preschool for all eligible children in our township.”

According to the Belleville Public School District website, the free Pre-K program is in effect for the 2019-2020 school year. The program offers half-day classes for 3-year-olds and full-day classes for 4-year-olds.

There is no charge for the programs. Applicants are selected from a lottery. If selected, a birth certificate and proof of Belleville residency are required. Parents and guardians are responsible for their own transportation.

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