Preschool Expansion Notice of Funding Opportunity

Preschool Expansion Notice of Funding Opportunity is sponsored by New Jersey Department of Education. Offers funding for school districts to establish or expand preschool programs for the 2026-2027 school year.

2026-2027 Preschool Expansion Notice of Funding Opportunity - New Jersey School Boards Association | New Jersey School Boards Association 2026-2027 Preschool Expansion Notice of Funding Opportunity - New Jersey School Boards Association County School Boards Association Meetings General Training Information Whether you’re a new board member or a seasoned veteran, there are always new leadership skills to explore.

NJSBA offers training opportunities to help you reach your full potential as a board member. Learn about our training services Election & Bond Issue Data School Board Recognition Month Resources Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying Student Learning and Education School Budget and Finances Get insights and guidance on a variety of areas relating to school operations and governance.

Find Your State Legislator Find Your Congressional Representative 2026-2027 Legislative Advocacy Agenda Communicating with Legislators Current NJSBA Superintendent Searches Featured Services & Programs NJSBA Cooperative Pricing System We would love to hear from you. Contact us today.

Membership Types & Benefits Membership Types Overview New Jersey Personnel Administrators Association Associate Membership Program for School Attorneys NJSBA Member Volunteer Application NJSBA's Candidate Kit provides vital resources, as well as links to important websites for anyone considering running for their local school board.

Find Your Field Service Representative Educational Leadership Foundation (ELFNJ) Manual of Positions and Policies on Education Corporate Opportunities & Ads Partner EdVantage Directory 2026-2027 Preschool Expansion Notice of Funding Opportunity The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) recently released the Preschool Education Aid (PEA) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the 2026-2027 school year.

This opportunity is open to any LEA in New Jersey that is not currently receiving preschool education aid and offers full-day kindergarten. Non-operating LEAs are eligible to apply in collaboration with an LEA that provides an educational program to their kindergarten students. Please note that award terms and amounts are subject to change pending enactment of the FY2027 Appropriations Act.

In advance of the FY2027 Appropriations Act, and consistent with P. L. 2025, c.

100, this NFO is being released as an anticipatory step necessary to align the timing of these expansion grant awards with the timing of K-12 state aid notices, allowing awardees to incorporate funded preschool programs into their initial school year 2026-2027 budget development procedures.

Note: Applicants must demonstrate due diligence in establishing partnerships to provide their preschool program via a mixed-delivery system with licensed childcare providers and Head Start programs in their community or neighboring communities that are ready, willing, and able to meet all preschool program requirements. Mandatory Technical Assistance Workshop To apply, LEAs must attend a mandatory technical assistance session.

Two in-person sessions will be offered on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 , from 10 a. m.

to 11:30 a. m. OR from 1 p.

m. to 2:30 p. m.

at 100 Riverview Plaza, Conference Room 1 (CR1), in Trenton, NJ 08360. It is recommended that LEAs identify a team of administrators to participate in the technical assistance workshop. LEAs must have at least one staff member or consultant to be eligible to apply.

If LEAs plan to apply collaboratively, a staff member or consultant from each LEA must attend. Please register here to attend the 10 a. m.

to 11:30 a. m. session, or register here to attend the 1 p.

m. to 2:30 p. m.

session. LEAs are only required to attend one of the two sessions and must stay for the duration of the presentation. The sessions are identical, so there is no need to attend both.

The registration deadline is 12 p. m. on Monday, Dec.

8, 2025. Completed applications are due by 12 p. m.

on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 , via Homeroom . NJDOE will not accept a late proposal.

The responsibility for a timely submission resides with the applicant. The applicant LEA will not be eligible for an award if the proposal is incomplete or received after the due date. LEAs with higher free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) percentages will be prioritized for consideration.

Priority consideration will be based on: • Districts at 20 percent FRPL or above, with successful applications, will receive priority funding. • Districts at 15-19 percent FRPL, with successful applications, will be eligible to receive funding in the second round of consideration. • Districts at 10-14 percent FRPL, with successful applications, will be eligible to receive funding in the third round of consideration.

• Districts with less than ten percent FRPL, with successful applications, will be eligible to receive funding in the final round of consideration.

Eligible applications that meet the minimum score of 70 points (prior to the application of priority points) and submit a budget that supports implementation of all elements of a high-quality preschool program will be ranked and funded in descending order, from highest to lowest score, utilizing the priority rankings identified above, until available funds have been used.

Reviewers will use the points indicated in each section to score the application’s content. Priority points will be awarded to applications that include the mixed delivery model and applications to serve a consortium of districts. Additionally, please note that pursuant to P.

L. 2025, c. 100, FY2027 expansion awards (i.e., awards for school districts receiving PEA for the first time in FY2027) will be made pursuant to a cost-sharing methodology pilot program.

Under the program, the NJDOE’s PEA award will be based on an awardee school district’s District Aid Percentage (the greater of 40% or the percentage derived by dividing the district’s equalization aid, as calculated pursuant to N. J. S.

A. 18A:7F-53 by the district’s adequacy budget, as calculated pursuant to N. J.

S. A. 18A:7F-51).

For additional information, please see the full NFO. To read the full text of the memo, please click here . Questions may be directed to the Office of Preschool Expansion at doepreschoolexpansion@doe.

nj. gov . Published: December 2, 2025 You might also be interested in: NJSBA AT YOUR SERVICE CSA and Board Self-Evaluations State law requires school boards to evaluate the performance of their superintendent each year.

An important prerequisite is the board self-evaluation. NJSBA provides online resources to help your board complete this requirement.... NJSBA AT YOUR SERVICE CSA and Board Self-Evaluations State law requires school boards to evaluate the performance of their superintendent each year.

An important prerequisite is the board self-evaluation. NJSBA provides online resources to help your board complete this requirement.... NJSBA AT YOUR SERVICE CSA and Board Self-Evaluations Next issue of SBN is scheduled for distribution on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

For the latest version, click here: School-Board-Notes, July 14, 2026 For NJSBA Education News anytime, visit the NJSBA website homepage, and scroll... Legislative Directory 2024-2025 Effective Cybersecurity in K-12 Today