State Aid to Fund Preschool for Every Red Bank Child

Every 3 and 4-year-old child living in Red Bank will have the opportunity to attend preschool next year thanks to a dramatic increase in preschool funding included in Gov. Chris Christie's recently proposed State budget.

Though the borough's K-8 students received as part of Christie's school funding plan, Red Bank School District Superintendent Laura Morana said the amount of state aid the preschool program is expected to receive will allow the district to extend preschool opportunities to every eligible child. For the first time, Red Bank will be able to that has left some parents without any public school option when it comes to getting a head start on educating their children.

According to Morana, Red Bank's preschool program is slated to receive $4.079 million. The borough's preschool program currently operates with a budget of $2.767 million.

During an interview in June, Morana said the goal was to use creative funding methods and to find new partners that could accommodate Red Bank's ever-expanding preschool program. Projected enrollment in the full-day preschool program offered by Red Bank entering this school year was 248 children. Of that total, 90 are 3 year olds and 158 are 4 year olds. That total, however, represents 81 percent of the age-eligible children living in Red Bank.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for Red Bank when it comes to maximizing its preschool capacity has been classroom space. In addition to the six preschool classes at Red Bank Primary School, the district also has preschool partnerships with , , , and Acelero Head Start.

The additional funding will allow Red Bank to seek more outside space to accommodate expected enrollment figures.